
Introduction
FOOTNOTES:
The History of the Fairchild Family - Part I
The Birthday Walk
Mrs. Fairchild's Story
On Envy
Story of the Apples
Story of an Unhappy Day
Story of Ambition; or, The Wish to be Great
The All-Seeing God
Step into the world of Lucy, Emily, and little Henry, three spirited children whose lives unfold against the backdrop of early‑nineteenth‑century England. Their days are filled with the ordinary delights and frustrations of childhood—scraped knees, lost pets, secret games in a leafy arbor, and the occasional sibling scuffle. Amid the fashions of long skirts, bonnets, and frock coats, the siblings experience both the joy of carefree play and the stern lessons of a time when discipline was often enforced with a stern word or a well‑timed admonition.
Yet their concerns feel unmistakably familiar: the yearning for freedom, the thrill of discovery, the sting of disappointment. Listening to their adventures reveals how little has changed in the hearts of children, even as the world around them has transformed. Through vivid scenes and gentle humor, the narrative invites you to share a timeless friendship with these historic youngsters, reminding us that the essence of childhood bridges centuries.
Language
en
Duration
~12 hours (724K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by David Edwards, Linda Hamilton and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
Aug 19, 2009
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1775–1851
A hugely popular 19th-century writer, she shaped generations of children's reading with stories that mixed family life, moral struggle, and vivid religious feeling. Best known today for The Fairchild Family and Little Henry and his Bearer, she wrote with unusual energy and influence.
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