Sarah Brenner was always one of a kind, even with four sisters who dressed just like her. Growing up in an immigrant family on New York Citys impoverished Lower East Side, Sarahs life was full of things that werent fair. It wasnt fair that her parents had to leave Europe because of their religion. It wasnt fair they worked hard all day and the family barely had enough to eat. It wasnt fair how girls were treated in her school.
When she grew up, Sarah gave herself a modern, boyish name, Sydney, just right for a woman who was going to forge her own path and continue to fight for a fairer world. When Sydneys daughter complained that it wasnt fair that there were no books about Jewish children like her, Sydney dreamed up a one-of-a-kind childrens book called All-of-a-Kind Family, which is still beloved today.
I am pleased my mothers stories allowed Jewish children to finally see themselves in books. I know she would have believed that all children today should have that same opportunity. May every reader of this story know how very special you are and, like my mother, truly one of a kind.Jo Taylor Marshall
