Ernestine Gilbreth Carey and her brother Frank Gilbreth made the nation laugh when they decided to write a tell-all book about their parents, efficiency experts Frank and Lillian Gilbreth. It was through chronicling life in the Gilbreth household in Cheaper By the Dozen and its sequel, Belles On Their Toes, that Ernestine and her brother earned their greatest fame.
Ernestine was born on April 5th, 1908 in New York City. She graduated from Smith College with an English major and went on to work as a retail buyer in New York City. She married Charles Everett Carey on September 30, 1930, and raised a family of two children (Lillian and Charles), while keeping in touch with her ten siblings. She wrote Jumping Jupiter, Rings Around Us, and Giddy Moment, as well as the books she is best known for.
In 1950, Ernestine and Frank Gilbreth, Jr., won an International Humor Award for Cheaper By the Dozen. They also collaborated on its sequel, Belles On Their Toes. Ernestine died at age 98 on November 4, 2006, of natural causes.
Did you find this review helpful?