Five Little Peppers facts for kids

An illustration for The Five Little Peppers, 1887

The Five Little Peppers is a popular book series written by American author Margaret Sidney. The books were published between 1881 and 1916. They tell the story of five children and their adventures. The series begins with the children living in their home state. Later, a kind, wealthy man helps their family.

About the Pepper Family Stories

The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew introduces the Pepper family. It shows how they live, learn, and play in their small brown house. They are not rich, and their mother, "Mamsie," works very hard. Despite their struggles, their lives are full of happiness.

How the Peppers Met the Kings

One day, the youngest child, Phronsie, is taken by an organ grinder. A boy named Jasper King and his dog, Prince, rescue her. Jasper and Prince quickly become good friends with the Peppers. Jasper and his father, Mr. King, are so charmed by the family that they invite them to visit their city home. Soon, the entire Pepper family moves in with the Kings. Mr. King hires Mrs. Pepper as his housekeeper. He also does everything he can to help and teach the children.

Life with the King Family

The Kings give the Pepper children a life of luxury. For example, Phronsie collects 200 dolls in five years! However, their mother still teaches them important values. These include working hard, being humble, and staying together as a family. This creates an interesting situation for the children. Even though they live with a wealthy family, the older children know they will need to work for a living someday. This makes them friendly with everyone, from street kids to the grocer's son.

Continuing Adventures of the Peppers

The series continues with many more adventures. The Peppers go to school, travel to other countries, and even return to their original little brown house. That house always holds a special place in their hearts. The stories cover 17 years of their lives. Phronsie starts as a three-year-old and finishes as a 20-year-old young lady.

Meet the Pepper Characters

The Pepper Children

• Mrs. Pepper (Later Mrs. Fisher): Her children call her "Mamsie." She is a widow who works hard to keep her five children healthy and educated. She is the family's strong moral guide. Her children love and respect her deeply. She later marries Dr. Adoniram Fisher, and her children approve.
• Ben (Ebenezer): He is the oldest of the five children. Ben loves to study. However, he is willing to stop his schooling to help support his family. He and his older sister help take care of the younger children. He would sacrifice anything for them. Ben is eleven years old at the start of The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew.
• Polly (Mary): She is the older Pepper girl. Polly is 10 years old when The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew begins. She is a busy, bright, and cheerful girl. She tries to make her family's life as happy as possible. She loves music, flowers, and her baby sister very much.
• Joel: He is the middle Pepper child and the middle boy. Joel is the most active of the siblings. He is 8 years old in The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. Joel loves sports, treats, parties, and fun. He is often the most mischievous. He sometimes gets into trouble or upsets others with his words. He becomes a bit calmer in college. He also joins a student church group.
• Davie (David): He is the youngest boy and the quietest sibling. Davie is calm and observes everything happening around him. He is an obedient student. He is also happy to give up anything to make Joel or Ben happy. As a teenager, he becomes a bit fashionable. Other students jokingly call him "Davina."
• Phronsie (Sophronia): She is the baby of the family and everyone's favorite. The series starts with Phronsie as a three-year-old with wide, innocent eyes. She sees the good in almost everyone. She is always eager to help anyone in need. She calls her dolls, Baby and Seraphina, her children. She treats them like real kids. She is especially close to Polly and Mr. King.

The King Family and Friends

• Mr. J. Horatio King, Senior: He is the kind man who helps the Pepper family. He is an older widower. At the start of the series, his health is not very good. Bringing the Peppers into his home makes him feel much better. He can be quick-tempered and strong-willed. However, "Grandpapa" is a family man. He tries to ease every problem and worry for his own children and the Peppers.
• Jasper (Jasper, Junior, called "Jappy"): He is Mr. King’s son. Jasper is an enthusiastic boy. He is just as happy to go sledding with Ben as he is to bake pies with Polly. Jasper and his dog Prince become friends with the Peppers when he saves Phronsie. His fondness for them eventually leads him to ask Polly to marry him. This makes the Peppers a permanent part of the King household.
• The Whitneys: This part of the King household includes Marian King Whitney, Mr. King’s adult daughter, and her sons Percy, Van, and Dick Whitney. It turns out that Mr. Whitney is Mrs. Pepper’s cousin. This means the Peppers are distant relatives of the King family. Mrs. Whitney acts like a second mother to the Pepper children. The three Whitney boys are very fond of Polly. However, they often argue with each other and with Joel.

Movie Adaptations of the Books

The Pepper books inspired a short series of movies. Columbia Pictures made these films in 1939 and 1940. The four movies starred Edith Fellows, a young actress from Columbia. She played Polly. The other children were Charles Peck as Ben, Tommy Bond from Our Gang as Joey, Robert Boyce "Bobby" Larson as Davie, and Dorothy Ann Seese as Phronsie.

The first movie focused mostly on Edith Fellows as the oldest Pepper child. It did not follow the book exactly. The other three movies were heartwarming family stories. They had elements of comedy and drama. Edith Fellows was the main star of the series. However, by the end, five-year-old Dorothy Ann Seese had become a favorite with audiences. She was listed second in the cast, right after Fellows.

The movie scripts did not follow the original books very closely. Still, the four films were popular with people who watched movies. The films were shown for many years. They were often part of children's film festivals and weekend matinees.

List of Pepper Films

• Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (1939)
• Five Little Peppers at Home (1940) – In this film, the kids get trapped in a mine.
• Out West with the Peppers (1940) – This movie shows the kids at a lumber camp.
• Five Little Peppers in Trouble (1940) – Here, the kids attend a snobbish school.

The Peppers in Modern TV

The Pepper books are mentioned in the TV series Fargo. In Season 2, Episode 1, a character named Lou Solverson is reading from Chapter 4 of Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. This chapter is called "Trouble for the Little Brown House." The chapter begins with a quote from the New Testament book of Matthew: "I was sick, and ye visited me."