Polly Oliver's Problem

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Pages: 114

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About this book

Polly Oliver has breakfast to prepare, a household to manage and an ailing mother to care for. When Edgar becomes a boarder, she regards the extra responsibility with a mixture of annoyance, affection and brisk humor. Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin's novel for young readers brings questions about growing up into the kitchen and parlor, where everyday work sits beside conversations about friendship, study and good conduct.

One revealing scene pairs Mrs. Oliver's gentle firmness with Edgar's complaints about college, his father's expectations and the effort required to earn honors. Polly listens from the doorway, then returns to preparing salt fish while singing. Such small domestic details give the story its particular voice. Readers interested in mother and daughter relationships, youthful independence and the practical demands of caring for others will find a story that joins moral discussion to household comedy.

About the author

Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin

Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856-1923) was an American educator and novelist who opened one of the first free kindergartens on the West Coast, in San Francisco, and wrote fiction partly to fund her teacher training work. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm carried her name well beyond it.