Another book about a girl with long hair in a braid! Betsy 4 ever!

We loved this story. Two young friends meet just as they are about to start school. Apart from the absence of cars and the fact that however rural your home might be 5 yr olds don't go off alone together these days, much of this book could have been in present time. Imaginative play, family life, happiness, sadness and the beauty of the passing seasons.

A series I wish I had read as a little girl. I still have to get going on these, but my 8yo loves them =)

***

UPDATE :: 10/24/11 :: When I originally started this with my oldest a few years ago, she ended up taking it upon herself to finish, because I was taking too long to read it to her ~ LOL! Now, we are picking it up again as our first read-aloud of our first year of homeschooling. I am mainly reading it to my school-aged girls. If the twins sit in, then great, but at this time good fall picture books are more interesting to them. I also downloaded the audiobook, in case the girls want to listen again. That can be fun!

WHOLESOME ALERT

wow this book was pure
i recommend

Read this as it is on the Mensa for Kids reading list that my son is finishing up. Not sure this will be his cup of tea but it is a book that I would have ADORED as a young girl!! I can't believe I've never read it. Just a sweet wholesome story of a friendship shared between two young girls. I loved how the parents parented these sweet girls as well!

Lovely, really enjoyed it. And this is one that I think I enjoyed extra-much reading it now, as a getting-on-in-years adult. I think there's a good chance I would have enjoyed it when I was very little, too, but then there would have been a long stretch of years when I wouldn't have (I mean, I never would have disliked it; I just wouldn't have enjoyed its charm as much as I do now). But reading it now, I really liked everything about it. I loved the scale (small!), I loved the very real-feeling imaginary games of Betsy and Tacy, loved their adventures, which made me so nostalgic for my own childhood adventures. I loved the humor of it, and the kindliness. The last chapter is where they meet Tib (next book is called Betsy-Tacy and Tib), and I loved their anxiety at meeting her, their doubts, and how it all smooths away. And how great to end a book with a new friend like that! Sets readers up for the next book very happily--not a cliffhanger but a promise of more fun.

Perhaps I would have liked this more when I was younger . . . perhaps. While this was a perfectly fine little book, it struck me as a little blah and stilted; not nearly as brilliant and honest as Elizabeth Enright or Jeanne Birdsall.

I know I read this before, but it had been a while. I love how Lovelace captured so well what is important and memorable to children: their playtime and family adventures. This book is sweet, imaginative, and wholesome. Yet, it still touches on some real-life hurts, like when Tacy's baby sister dies.

Content notes: Sometimes, the lines between Betsey's stories and what really happens are a bit blurred, which was so childlike I loved it. But some parents might need to explain to young children that they are just pretending.
When Tacy's little sister dies, Betsy and Tacy talk about heaven. It isn't theologically correct at all, but I found it to be a beautiful depiction of children comforting children with their childlike knowledge. Of course, when reading it to a child, it would be good to discuss that heaven isn't really like how Betsy describes.

A very sweet story of two little girls growing up in a simpler time. In this day and age of social media and online games, it was refreshingly quaint to read about a time when ladies went calling, milk was delivered in horse-drawn wagons, and children's play was limited only by the scope of their own imaginations. Betsy and Tacy, both five years old, play games and explore their neighborhood with their mothers' permission but without adult supervision.

The author takes Betsy and Tacy through several big life events, including the first day of school, the birth of a baby sister, and even the death of a baby sister. The situations are not treated lightly, but they convey the innocence of a child's perspective. I love that the girls show compassion and take care of each other in difficult times.

I also like that young children reading this book will probably encounter new vocabulary, even if the reading level is appropriate. First published in 1940 and presumably set it in the late 1800's or early 1900's, many frequently used words from that time are now less common. When the Kelly family moves in, Betsy sees a moving "dray", not a moving truck, and their houses have "parlors", not living rooms or family rooms.

The edition I read included some fun facts about the author and where she got her inspiration for writing the book, plus a delightful little map of the girls' neighborhood.

I think this will be a fun series to follow, and I'm looking forward to the next book.

A fun quick read! A sweet little story of best friends who lived across the street from each other. I too had a best friend who lived across the street when I was growing up and this book reminds me of our own little adventures and letting our imagination run wild!!

I think your little girls would love to read this book, or it would be a great read-aloud! :)

What an absolutely idyllic childhood. It's a shame I didn't read this when I was five or six. I would have loved it. Even as an adult, it's really cute and sometimes very funny (and other times very touching).
Quick, pleasant read.

I loved reading this adorable little girl's novel. If I ever have a daughter I will definitely want to read the Betsy-Tacy books to her. Maud Hart Lovelace creates a charming world of happiness, love, and beauty as she describes the lives of Betsy and Tacy, two little girls growing up as friends in turn-of-the century Minnesota. Although this book is filled with sweetness, it does bring in the hard issues of life in a gentle, understanding manner.

I loved the Lois Lenski illustrations!