Review: Betsy-Tacy Books #1 and #2

Summary: There are lots of children on Hill Street, but no little girls Betsy's age. So when a new family moves into the house across the street, Betsy hopes they will have a little girl she can play with. Sure enough, they do--a little girl named Tacy. And from the moment they meet at Betsy's fifth birthday party, Betsy and Tacy become such good friends that everyone starts to think of them as one person--Betsy-Tacy.

Betsy and Tacy have lots of fun together. They make a playhouse from a piano box, have a sand store, and dress up and go calling. And one day, they come home to a wonderful surprise--a new friend named Tib.

Ever since their first publication in the 1940's, the Betsy-Tacy stories have been loved by each generation of young readers. -- Harper Collins

Summary: Betsy and Tacy are best friends. Then Tib moves into the neighborhood and the three of them start to play together. The grown-ups think they will quarrel, but they don't. Sometimes they quarrel with Betsy's and Tacy's bossy big sisters, but they never quarrel among themselves.

They are not as good as they might be. They cook up awful messes in the kitchen, throw mud on each other and pretend to be beggars, and cut off each other's hair. But Betsy, Tacy, and Tib always manage to have a good time.

Ever since their first publication in the 1940s, the Betsy-Tacy stories have been loved by each generation of young readers. -- Harper Collins

I have no idea why I wasn't familiar with the Betsy-Tacy series of books as a child, but I am so glad that I have discovered them as an adult -- I have Book Club Girl to thank for that! I do admit that I majorly missed out as a young girl by not reading these books. I have a feeling that I would have loved Betsy and her friends, and that I would have read these books over and over again. But enough about that... I'm just especially grateful that I have these books now and can share them with my 10 year old daughter!

BETSY-TACY and BETSY-TACY AND TIB, written by Maud Hart Lovelace and illustrated by Lois Lenski, are the first two books in the series. BETSY-TACY begins when the girls are 6 years old and tells the story of how they become best friends. BETSY-TACY AND TIB takes place two years later, when the girls are 8 years old, and continues with stories about their friendship. Only in this book, the girls meet up with Tib, the new girl in town; and a threesome is formed. Both books are filled with little stories about the girls and their friendship that is sure to entertain girls of all ages!

One thing I especially loved about these books is that they are still relevant even though the books were originally published in the 1940s. It doesn't matter how much our lives have changed over the years, young girls today will still relate to these stories about Betsy and her friends. These first two books are filled with lots of playtime and adventures that little girls everywhere have experienced. I think that Ms. Lovelace definitely captured every young girls' feeling with the characters in these novels.

In each of the following books, the girls continue to get older and more mature. I love that these books follow Betsy and Tacy from the time they were six until the time that Betsy gets married. It's almost as if you watch Betsy grow up; and I think that definitely made me feel as if Betsy were someone I knew. Each of the books in this series can stand alone; however, I think they are best appreciated as a whole. Every time I read a sentence that referenced something in the prior novel, I felt as if I were reminiscing with a friend.

Besides the actual stories about the girls, I also really appreciated the author's note, foreword and appendices in these books. In BETSY-TACY, the author's note was especially interesting because I learned that so much of these stories were based on Ms. Lovelace's own life. I also enjoyed the foreword in BETSY-TACY AND TIB because it was written by one of my daughter's favorite writers Ann M. Martin. It's obvious that the Betsy-Tacy books had a lasting impact on young girls and encouraged many of them to become writers. And finally, I loved the last few pages of both books because there were lots of photos from Ms. Lovelace's childhood as well as additional information on her life and how it related to the particular book.

Booking Daughter absolutely loved these books too. In fact, she kept talking about Betsy as if she were real. And I have to say that my heart melted just a little when she started cutting up old magazines and playing paper dolls like Betsy and Tacy! Here are her thoughts about these first two books:

I loved BETSY-TACY and BETSY-TACY AND TIB! I thought all of the characters were hilarious and unpredictable, but I really liked Tacy because she was so shy. I also liked how Betsy was so confident in herself and what she believed in. I could relate to Tib (sort of) because she loved to dance.

I loved how Betsy made up stories and began writing them down. I thought it was interesting that the author based the stories and characters on her own life. I also liked learning things about an earlier time.

BETSY-TACY AND TIB was my favorite book so far that I've read. I enjoyed the funny things the girls did together when they were eight years old. I thought it was hilarious when they cut off each other's hair. I was LOLing!

I definitely recommend these two books to little girls. I think they will like the characters and their personalities.

Thanks to Book Club Girl for sending us these books and converting two new Betsy-Tacy fans!