Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, 5/5

I can’t believe I didn’t get around to reading this classic until now.  I think that I had a bad impression of it from my mom, who had a bad impression of it from the movie versions.  At any rate, this book is hilarious and, to someone who knows big families or comes from one (like I do), it is utterly believable.  It made me laugh so hard that I had to read a couple parts aloud to the family.  It would make a great read-aloud book, by the way, if the reader can control the giggles.  I’ve requested the much-less-well-known sequel, Belles on Their Toes, from the library, as well as an autobiography of the mother, so I have more Gilbreth escapades to look forward to in future.

[Why I read it: I wanted to find out why a couple family friends found it so amusing that I’d posted Morse code in the bathroom for the kids to learn.  It seems Mr. Gilbreth had the same idea, though with a much cleverer execution…]