Big Brother

Johnston, Annie F. (Annie Fellows), 1863-1931Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 62K words
Chapters: 7

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Big Brother by Annie F. JohnstonAuthor: Johnston, Annie F. (Annie Fellows), 1863-1931,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Jun 3, 2006

Editor's review

Big Brother is a work by the American children's author Annie Fellows Johnston and belongs to the category of juvenile literature. Johnston was known for depicting the emotions and growth of children and young people in everyday life. This book revolves around family relationships and sibling affection, portraying characters' inner lives through concrete domestic scenes in gentle language and a clear structure. It is well suited as an entry point to English-language juvenile classics. The Project Gutenberg edition preserves the original text, making it convenient for teachers to select passages for classroom reading or family read-alouds. The book's value lies not in intricate plotting but in its plain treatment of kinship, responsibility, and growing up, allowing young readers to see their own family experiences reflected in the story. For readers studying early twentieth-century American children's literature, it also serves as a sample of the themes and values of children's reading material of the period.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Primary and middle school students with basic English reading skills who wish to try original English children's literature
Parents and primary school English teachers selecting English read-aloud materials for children
Researchers studying the themes and narrative of early twentieth-century American children's literature
English learners who enjoy gentle family themes and prefer short chapters

Not a good fit for

Young readers seeking strong plots, fast pacing, or fantasy adventure
Learners at the beginning stage of English who cannot yet read English paragraphs independently
Adult readers seeking deep psychological portrayal or discussion of complex social issues

Reading tips

Read one chapter a day and summarize the plot in one or two sentences after each chapter to practice retelling in English.
During parent-child read-alouds, ask questions about the sibling interactions in the book and encourage children to connect them with their own family experiences.
Guess unfamiliar words from context first and look them up after finishing the chapter, so as not to interrupt the reading rhythm.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What age is this book suitable for?

This is an original English children's book with family and growing-up themes and a gentle plot. Native English-speaking children can read it independently around the middle grades; for Chinese children, it is advisable to attempt it after they have some ability to read English paragraphs, or to read it with a parent. The specific age varies with language level.

Is the content related to the 'Big Brother' surveillance concept?

No. The title refers to the role of an older brother within the family and belongs to the family-themed children's literature genre. It has nothing to do with the 'Big Brother' concept in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, so readers need not be misled by the title.

Does the electronic edition include illustrations or notes?

The Project Gutenberg edition is based mainly on the public-domain original text. Whether the original illustrations are retained depends on how that edition was produced, and modern annotations are usually not included. Readers who want background information can consult materials on the author and the period themselves, or choose an edition with an introduction for comparison.

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About the author

Johnston, Annie F. (Annie Fellows), 1863-1931 Author

Annie Fellows Johnston (1863–1931) was an American writer of children's literature, with 38 of her works held in this collection. Public information about her is limited, and details of her life are difficult to verify, yet her surviving books show that she excelled at centering stories on children and young people, weaving warm, adventure-tinged tales of growing up. The Little Colonel series follows a Southern boy, while Two Little Knights of Kentucky and The Gate of the Giant Scissors blend family values, regional settings, and fantastical imagination in a friendly, bright tone that emphasizes children's courage and kindness. Holiday-themed works such as Miss Santa Claus of the Pullman continue in the same vein. Writing for young readers in lucid, engaging plots, she had a modest influence on early twentieth-century American children's books, and her work is still reprinted and read today.