Five Little Peppers

I grew up with a wide set of best friends...book best friends, that is. And among these best friends were five siblings: the Five Little Peppers. I can't remember the first time I read the first book, but I do remember reading "Five Little Peppers and How They Grew" over and over when I was younger, and it was only recently that I picked up their book again. The quote on the side of this blog is so true. Memories stick to books better than anything. I can remember a sunshiney summer day, curling up on the couch in front of the fan in the window, reading about the Five Peppers. I remember stopping every now and then to look at the illustration on the cover, because I liked it so much.

Maybe people would call the Five Peppers outdated, sappy, even unrealistic at times, but nothing could make me love this book less. I tend to be very loyal to the best friends I made when I was little...even books. Yes, "Five Little Peppers & How They Grew" may be sappy in ways, but it's a sweet kind of sappiness that isn't sweet enough to make me sick to my stomach. ;)

I wanted to be Polly Pepper when I was little...back then I couldn't quite say why I liked her so much, other than, "Cuz, I like her." Now I see her as a sweet, young girl who takes on responsibility without complaint, who loves her mother so much that she wants to help her through the hard times...the older sister who loves her siblings dearly and feels a sense of motherly responsibility over them...the friend who cares about others before herself. When she's felt she's done something wrong, she doesn't hesitate to rush in and apologize, feeling awful immediately. Everyone around her loves her and it's easy to see why.

I didn't care much for the character Ben, the oldest Pepper, when I was younger. I thought him boring. Simple as that. Even today, I'm not too fond of Ben, but I have to admit, he isn't as bad as I thought back then. He's an older brother and the man of the house. He takes on responsibility the way that Polly does. He looks out for his family, cares about others, and is kind to his siblings, always keeping an eye on them. He is sensible and good-natured and even if he isn't as big a character as Polly, the brood of Peppers would be lost without him.

I loved Joel Pepper second best, when I was younger. He was the "bad boy" and such an interesting character. While he still loves his family and tries to help out all he can...he is good in that way...he also has a mischievous nature that tends to get him in trouble nearly all the time. He means well, but has the tendency to make something go wrong. I liked that about Joel. He seemed more realistic than the other Pepper children, in that way. He is a fun-loving character, who argues, is competitive, and yet, though it makes him seem like a brat, you can't help but like him. Because, after all, he DOES mean well.

Davy Pepper...the Pepper child, besides Ben, who sinks into the background more than the others. He's the opposite of Joel...quiet, sweet...some might even call him a sissy. There's not much to say about Davy, because it is true there's not much about him. But I remember, in spite of his "perfect" behavior, I liked Davy. He's always so willing to help...he looks up to Ben, wanting to be like him, content to trot around after him. He is what Ben must have been as a very little boy, so it's only safe to assume (and later find out ;)) that Davy would turn out to be another "Ben".

Phronsie Pepper...the baby of the family. I have heard her described as a spoiled brat. But I don't think people keep in mind that Phronsie is very young and very much the baby of the family. Everyone loves her because she's cute, she's the baby, and because she is adorable. And that's what she is, plain and simple. She loves and looks up to Polly and has an almost similar nature, in the way that she wins over everyone, and has a desire to help out. And she completes the Peppers in every way.

Five kids, who make a "perfect" family, and yet individually, they make wonderful characters...Margaret Sidney certainly knew what she was doing when she created the Pepper family. They are five characters worthy to be read about.