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The Betsy Tacy Treasury

(Betsy-Tacy #1-4)

Maud Hart Lovelace,

Lois Lenski (Illustrator)

4.54 · Rating details · 925 ratings · 113 reviews

“Some characters become your friends for life. That’s how it was for me with Betsy-Tacy.” —Judy Blume

The First Four Books in the Betsy-Tacy Series in One Volume

With Forewords by Judy Blume, Ann M. Martin and Johanna Hurwitz

The first four books in the beloved Betsy-Tacy series, together in one volume, ready to delight a new generation of readers—and to bring a grownup ...more

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Paperback, 736 pages

Published November 8th 2011 by William Morrow Paperbacks (first published July 1995)

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Aug 30, 2016 Stacia (the 2010 club) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, cute, childrens

********* Learning to Fly *********

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It's so very hard to ever pick one single favorite book from one's childhood, but I have such an easy time picking out tons of 'favorites.' The Betsy-Tacy books would definitely be up there on the favorites list.

If there was ever a book character in child form who came close to who I was a child, it would have been Betsy, the star of these books. She was all over the place, and I loved her for it. Her crazy schemes and ideas often mirrored some of the games that I forced my own friends to play. She loved to write and explore, and gently 'boss' her friends into doing things. I can relate.

And while I do have lots of memories of fun adventures and the like, I don't think I got to live quite as epically as Betsy did, so my former child self loved to indulge in these books and take my own imagination to another level of what childhood could be like.

I'm glad that adulthood didn't dampen the enjoyment of these stories. Maybe it helps to be able to remember how I felt the first time that I read the books. Because, for whatever reason, I never get that same giddy excitement when I try to read a newer/more modern children's book. The closest I came might have been with the Percy Jackson series, and that's more likely because the author included humor that would also appeal to adults, so that's kind of cheating.

The illustrations absolutely MADE the reading experience. Every single picture helped recreate Betsy, Tacy and Tib's world in my mind. I never would have imagined anything half as grand as what the illustrator gave the readers. Given that I was reading a historical book, I wouldn't have known how the clothing looked, or the rooms, etc. so it was an extra treat to have someone explain everything to me through pictures. And the girls were so darn cute.

The magic of the Betsy-Tacy world was a large part of my favorite childhood reading experiences. I was happy to get to revisit this world and still find that the magic had never left.

End note for offensive content warning : (Very) Brief mention of blackface. Little Tib reflects that she could perform a character in a play if she blacks her face. If I were to read this story to a child now, or let a child read the story, I would use the mention as a teaching experience to illustrate why this behavior is wrong and hurtful, and I would explain the history behind it. If this same mention was entertained as acceptable in a modern day book, I would refuse to finish it. Any modern author should know better.

There's also a touch of outdated gender roles in the mix as well. When Tib expresses interest in growing up to be an architect, her father tells her that this is something her brother would do, and that she would become a housewife. Again, I'd use this as another teaching moment to show how times and people have changed. Perception was not always the same as it is now. And history can be used to learn how to do better than the people who came before us.

...more

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Mar 16, 2012 Soren Narnia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Here's what I recommend for every jaded, bitter, exhausted human being who feels like the years are getting past them, nothing's ever as good as it once was, and life just isn't as wonderful as it seemed like it might be when we were young: read the Betsy and Tacy books. They possess innocence and a wide-eyed sense of simple discovery to the extreme, so much so that it's like drinking a magic elixir that briefly makes the world appear gentle and perfect. There's no brilliance here, and barely ...more

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Jan 31, 2018 unknown rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

My 5-year-old is basically obsessed with this book (we've read it twice; note it is 700 pages). I dig it too. Maud Hart Lovelace understands a lot about childhood, and somehow writes about it genuinely without nodding too hard to parents in the process.

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Jan 17, 2012 Julie G rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s, classics

I would hope that every little girl met Betsy, Tacy, and Tib as a child, but, sadly, I don't think that's the case. I was fortunate enough to read these several times throughout my childhood, so I was thrilled when my friend Trish from TLC offered this new collection of the first four books in the series for review. If you aren't familiar, these books were written in the 1940's and 50's by Maud Hart Lovelace and are based on her own turn of the century childhood. Betsy, Tacy, and Tib are three I would hope that every little girl met Betsy, Tacy, and Tib as a child, but, sadly, I don't think that's the case. I was fortunate enough to read these several times throughout my childhood, so I was thrilled when my friend Trish from TLC offered this new collection of the first four books in the series for review. If you aren't familiar, these books were written in the 1940's and 50's by Maud Hart Lovelace and are based on her own turn of the century childhood. Betsy, Tacy, and Tib are three little girls who meet when they are five years old and grow up together. These books follow the girls and their adventures at ages 5, 8, 10, and 12.

Writing
So cute! I honestly just love Maud Hart Lovelace and these books are so well written. I enjoyed them just as much as an adult as I did when I read them as a child. A lot of the writing is, obviously, dated, and the turn of the century setting is very different than the way children live now, but the books honestly transcend that. I don't think it's hard to identify with and care about these little girls regardless of the time differences. They remind me a lot of the Little House on the Prairie books that way. It's also a really fun way to teach kids about how things were when their grandparents were young.

Entertainment Value
It doesn't matter how old I get, I will always be entertained by the exploits of Betsy, Tacy, and Tib. I honestly just can't recommend the books more highly. If you have little girls or if you were ever a little girl, these are must-reads. They are seriously adorable. I also really liked the new formatting of this treasury. It has all the classic Lois Lenski illustrations as well as introductions from authors like Judy Bloom and Meg Cabot. And at the end there is a section with historical information about Maud Hart Lovelace and the time and setting. I'm actually adding the rest of the books in the series (also collected in treasuries like this one) for Christmas this year - no higher recommendation than that!

...more

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Feb 16, 2019 Books I'm Not Reading rated it it was amazing

Shelves: readalong, buddy-read

I love these books. I wish I had read them growing up, but I'm so happy to have read them at all. This was the second time I've read these and I was moved by different things this time around, but still moved. I love these characters so much. Thanks to all of you who are participating in the readalong and I am greatly enjoying seeing the other videos people have created about these books.

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Nov 16, 2011 Laura rated it it was amazing

The Betsy-Tacy Treasury is the first four of the Betsy-Tacy books: Betsy-Tacy, Betsy-Tacy and Tib, Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill, and Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown. Included in the book are great forwards by current authors that are also fans including Judy Blume, Ann M. Martin, and Johanna Hurwitz. There are also sections at the end with background about Maud Hart Lovelace, illustrator Lois Lenski, and each of the four books included. I loved all of this information and found it very The Betsy-Tacy Treasury is the first four of the Betsy-Tacy books: Betsy-Tacy, Betsy-Tacy and Tib, Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill, and Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown. Included in the book are great forwards by current authors that are also fans including Judy Blume, Ann M. Martin, and Johanna Hurwitz. There are also sections at the end with background about Maud Hart Lovelace, illustrator Lois Lenski, and each of the four books included. I loved all of this information and found it very interesting. Also interesting was the praise at the beginning of the book for Maud Hart Lovelace from such personalities as Anna Quindlen, Meg Cabot, Laura Lippman, Bette Midler, Nora Ephron, Lorna Landvick, etc. In particular, Anna Quindlen stated, “There are three authors whose body of work I have reread more than once in my adult life: Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and Maud Hart Lovelace.” This is praise indeed!

Was this book truly worthy of all of this praise? I am more than happy to say a very emphatic “YES!” By the end of the first book, I had fallen in love with Betsy Ray and Tacy Kelly and their world in Deep Valley, Minnesota. Deep Valley is the Mankato of Lovelace’s childhood around the turn of the nineteenth century. (For fellow Little House on the Prairie TV series fans, this is the same Mankato that characters from Walnut Grove visit to get trade goods.)

Five-year old Betsy is excited when a new family with lots of children moves into the house across the street. One girl appears to be her age. After a slight misunderstanding, they soon become fast friends and the people of Hill Street and Deep Valley can’t remember a time when Betsy-Tacy were not friends. Soon a new girl moves in to the chocolate house on the way to school, and Tib becomes their fast friend. Betsy wants to be a writer and is full of imaginative stories. Tacy is shy, but loyal and fun. Tib is very matter of fact and also very pretty. The books move through their lives. By book two they are eight, book three they are ten, and book four they are twelve.

What did I like so much about this book? Although the adventures took place long before my childhood, the spirit of their life and adventures perfectly captures the spirit and joy of childhood that does not change through the ages. The wonder of the world and how one street and one city can seem so giant and faraway places like Milwaukee can be viewed with imaginative delight are just how a child views the world. Their adventures playing and making up stories reminded me of the fun I had as a child with my best friend Stephanie and sister Kristi doing very similar things. It was wonderful how Lovelace was able to capture her childhood and to remember what it was like to be a child and to have a fantastic imagination that can make climbing a hill the most exciting journey.

What really brought these books to the next level to me was when in book one, tragedy strikes. Tacy’s baby sister, Bee, dies from a childhood illness. Tacy and Betsy go for a walk and Tacy is very sad about her sister’s death. Betsy tries to cheer her up and talks to her about Bee’s adventures in heaven. “Of course she can see us. She’s looking down right now. And I’ll tell you what tickles Bee. She knows all about Heaven, and we don’t. She’s younger than we are, but she knows something that we don’t. Isn’t that funny? She’s just a baby, and she knows more than we do.”

Betsy brings the death down to the level of a child’s understanding, and is able to make Tacy think of all of the fun that Bee is having in heaven being a big girl and watching out for her family. I found it to be a very moving conversation and quite touching. Betsy and Tacy are the best kind of friends; the kind of friends that can help you out in a moment of crisis and be what you need them to be.

I also really enjoyed how Betsy, Tacy, Tib befriend a little girl (Naifi) from “Little Syria” in Deep Valley in Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill. They defend her when she is picked on by some rather nasty boys. Tib’s mother (Mrs. Muller) had some wise words to say about it, “I’m glad Tib stood up for that little Syrian girl. Foreign people should not be treated like that. America is made up of foreign people. Both of Tib’s grandmothers came from the other side. Perhaps when they got off the boat they looked a little strange too.”

Overall, The Betsy-Tacy Treasury was a wonderful, delightful series of books that I am very happy to have finally read. They are great adventures of childhood wonder and also have beautiful illustrations. I will definitely be reading these stories to my daughter when she gets older and I’m already planning for making a future trip to Mankato to check out Big Valley. I also want to read the rest of their adventures as they grow into teenagers and beyond! My only complaint is that poor Tib is always left off of the title of the books.

This review was first posted at: http://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2011/... ...more

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Dec 26, 2014 Margaret rated it it was amazing

Shelves: authors-kl, favorites, children-s-and-ya-fiction, 2010-read

(This is a review of the whole series, by the way.)

Maud Hart Lovelace was born in 1892 in Mankato, Minnesota, the town she later immortalized as Deep Valley in her beloved series of Betsy-Tacy books. These follow the adventures of childhood friends Betsy Ray and Tacy Kelly from the age of five, when they meet for the first time at Betsy's birthday party, through the school years to marriage and beyond.

The books are based largely on Lovelace's own life, and I think this is what gives them their ...more

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Aug 09, 2013 Christy rated it it was amazing

I gave this to my granddaughter Paige for her birthday, and then I decided I absolutely had to have a copy for myself. It's the first four Betsy-Tacy books, in one volume! When I was in elementary school, I had to wait for them to be returned to the school library, and hope I got to them first. (No such thing as requesting them on line, back then.) Now I was able to read all four in the right order, unlike 56 years ago, when I read whichever one came in. They're absolutely delightful, just like ...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Cally73 rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed this. It was only through friends that I ever heard about the Betsy-Tacy books, and finally got around to reading them. Now I know why they're so loved. These first four books in the series are so heartwarming, sweet and with a lovely sense of humour.

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Oct 06, 2013 Melanie Fishbane rated it it was amazing

This series is so delightful. I'm so glad that it was recommended to me. I love how the novels evolve as Betsy does, particularly in Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown. I'm excited to keep going.

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Feb 25, 2017 Anna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite-middle-grade-books, 2017-reading-challenge, middle-grade, favorite-books-i-read-in-2017

I thought it was about time to revisit these favorite classics from my childhood, and I had a grand time doing so. The "Betsy-Tacy Treasury" consists of the first four books in Maud Hart Lovelace's series: "Betsy-Tacy", "Betsy-Tacy and Tib", "Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill", and "Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown". These four books meant so much to me in my childhood, and I haven't read the books in the series where the girls grow to high school, college and adulthood-age, but now I really want to I thought it was about time to revisit these favorite classics from my childhood, and I had a grand time doing so. The "Betsy-Tacy Treasury" consists of the first four books in Maud Hart Lovelace's series: "Betsy-Tacy", "Betsy-Tacy and Tib", "Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill", and "Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown". These four books meant so much to me in my childhood, and I haven't read the books in the series where the girls grow to high school, college and adulthood-age, but now I really want to do so.

When I was younger, "Betsy-Tacy" was the most beloved of the four books to me and I read it the most times. There's always something magical about the first book in a great series. I was also about 6 when I started reading them, which matched up well with the age the girls were. My favorite was always Tacy, because I liked her red ringlets. The chapters about playing paper dolls, the sand store, and the first day of school brought back such wonderful memories.

My least favorite one was always Tib; I was so enamored of "Betsy-Tacy" and kind of viewed Tib as an interloper who didn't belong. Now though, as an adult, I find Tib is actually my very favorite. I love her unassuming modesty and innocent brutal honesty. I'm glad I got to reread and discover a new love for her character. If "Betsy-Tacy" is my favorite book because of nostalgia, then "Betsy-Tacy and Tib" is also my favorite in the here and now.

I don't remember much about "Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill", probably because I read it the least. I have memories of the voting to be Queen between Tib and Julia, but I think this was my least favorite as a kid because I found the Little Syria content boring - I just didn't have enough cultural appreciation at that age. It's still my least favorite of the four books (I just think the content is the least interesting overall), but the character of Naifi is also one I am glad to be able to appreciate now.

"Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown" is one I loved because I wasn't yet old enough to do all the fabulous things they do in this book, like see a show at the theater or go to the library by myself. I read it a lot because I really desired those experiences. It still holds up now, although the "Rip Van Winkle" play is very dated to today's audience as is the time-period racism of black face and the rather unfeeling chapters about "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Winona also sucks. I had a false memory about Betsy sitting up in a tree in the first chapter reading "Lady Chatterly's Lover", so I am relieved to go back and find that she was actually writing a story called "The Repentance of Lady Clinton" - phew.

If you have never read a Betsy-Tacy book, I suggest you do so. If you have daughters, I suggest they read these too. For the most part, time period doesn't make a difference - whether you read them when they were written in the 1940s or now in 2017, the magic of friendship and finding the joy in small childhood experiences is still a relevant and worthwhile message. ...more

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Nov 07, 2018 Lori Schmidt rated it it was amazing

A really good set of books to read with kids. Nice to see how kids lived a hundred years ago and the differences in technology. Its also interesting to see how the girls think as little kids and see them grow up. My girls loved the stories.

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Feb 12, 2018 Jessica added it · review of another edition

S.’s second time through! M. And I shared the reading, so I think by now I’ve read all, or at least almost-all, of the chapters. She’s not ready for the high school part of the series yet, but I want to read them!

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May 16, 2017 unknown rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017, readalouds

We stopped reading after making it through 3 or the 4 books in this treasury, because I think they were getting a bit too complex for my 5-year-old, but she really wants to keep going with them, and so do I—when she's a bit older, we'll definitely continue this delightful series, which rings so true, even 70 years later.

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Dec 16, 2018 Teri-K rated it it was amazing

Shelves: heroines-i-love, old-favorites, kids-read-ariana, classic-childrens, histfic-light, kids-ya, feisty-females

I'm giving this edition to my 10 year old "niece" for Christmas this year. I loved this series as a girl, in fact I named my daughter after the MC, and I'm always happy to share it with girls today. I chose this version over the hardback as this retains the original illustrations by Lois Lenski. (I dislike the newer childish illustrations the hardback version uses.)

This series is unusual in that the first books are written as easy readers, and as the friends grow up the books get harder. But no ...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Florinda rated it really liked it

Harper Perennial has made a project of reissuing the works of Maud Hart Lovelace during the last three years, and they’ve now worked their way back to the beginning. Unlike some of her later books featuring an older Betsy Ray, the earliest of Lovelace/’s autobiographical children’s novels about Betsy and her friends have rarely been out of print, but now the first four books in the series have been collected in a one-volume “Modern Classics” edition, featuring the original illustrations. Like Harper Perennial has made a project of reissuing the works of Maud Hart Lovelace during the last three years, and they’ve now worked their way back to the beginning. Unlike some of her later books featuring an older Betsy Ray, the earliest of Lovelace/’s autobiographical children’s novels about Betsy and her friends have rarely been out of print, but now the first four books in the series have been collected in a one-volume “Modern Classics” edition, featuring the original illustrations. Like the other reissues, this one includes supplemental material: biographies of the author and illustrator, background about the real-life models for characters and events in the stories, and forewords by contemporary authors who are fans of the books.

The stories in this volume are ones that I read and re-read and loved dearly when I was in the age range that Lovelace’s characters are here. Betsy Ray and Tacy Kelly are across-the-street neighbors who meet when they’/re five years old and soon become the inseparable Betsy-Tacy. Within a year or so, they are introduced to Tib Muller, who lives a few blocks away in an enchanting chocolate-colored house with a round tower room, and the twosome becomes a trio; Lovelace revisits them a couple of years later in Betsy-Tacy and Tib. At this stage, the novels take place at two-year intervals. When they all turn ten, the girls are grown-up enough to explore the immigrant settlement on the other side of the Big Hill; at twelve, they get to discover the attractions of downtown Deep Valley, Minnesota. The first two novels are largely episodic and not about much more than the girls'’ games and small adventures; there’s more overall plot to Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill and Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown.

These books grew out of stories that Lovelace told her daughter about her own childhood, and there are places where the writing has the feel of oral storytelling. It’'s also very strong on physical descriptions that effectively bring things to life in the reader’s mind. Like the best children’'s writing, it doesn'’t talk down to the child reader; however, there are some noticeable--and appropriate--differences in tone and style between these novels and the ones that follow Betsy and her friends through high school and into adulthood.

I haven'’t revisited the first Betsy-Tacy books for decades; I used to think I’'d read them again with my daughters if I had them, but since I ended up with a son, that didn'’t happen. And I never owned these books--they’'re closely associated with my own childhood love affair with the library, which was something I shared with Betsy. Reading them now is like a double dose of nostalgia for me; I’'m not only immersed in Betsy and Tacy’'s turn-of-the-(20th)century childhood, but I revisit my own childhood in the 1970s, when I read about them for the first (and second, and third) time. By then, we took things like cars and telephones for granted, but we were still able to roam our neighborhoods with a fair amount of freedom and play games that sprang mostly from our imaginations. I think the experience of childhood has changed more between my time and now than it did between Betsy’'s time and mine. But the experience of reading about Betsy, Tacy, and Tib'’s childhoods again was as enjoyable as it ever was--it hasn'’t gotten old--and I'’m glad I can finally put these books on my “keeper” shelf. ...more

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Jan 18, 2018 Sara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, kindle, library-book, ebook, classics, series, kids, cannot-live-without, for-my-daughter

There's a little history here...I read these years and years ago when I was in elementary school. I used to check them out of the library...at least the first two. I don't remember the others. But I used to read it over and over again. As the years went on, I always remembered the images this book gave me, but I had forgotten the titles. I only remembered that one of the girls was named Betsy. I thought the other was named Tracy, but I was wrong. I tried to remember the titles and have been ...more

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Mar 27, 2012 Jared rated it it was amazing

Shelves: top-100, children-young-adult

I can't recommend this book (set of books) enough. They are really wonderful and every girl should read them. Betsy, Tacy, and Tib are three friends in Minnesota that live in the early 1900s, and like the Edward Eager "Magic" books, really do a great job of showing what it's like to be a kid. I got this book for my daughter for Christmas and we've been reading it off and on for the past month or two. Great great book!

Ok...now that I'm done, I still stand with this decision. Can't get enough of ...more

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Feb 07, 2019 Rachel rated it it was amazing

It is a rare children's book that can transport this adult reader in 2019 so convincingly back into the nostalgic childhood of the late 1800's-early 1900's that I was not only fully persuaded that it was my own, but whenever I saw my teens distracted on their phones, I desperately ached for it to be their's as well. No technological distractions, no "noise" from the world, just fresh air and wide-eyed innocent adventure. I felt like I was exploring "the big hill" and the whole of "Deep Valley" ...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Margaret Chind marked it as hardcopy-review-to-read

Shelves: 2nd-grade, harperperennial-modernclassics, amblesideonline-year-2

Betsy-Tacy (Betsy-Tacy, #1) by Maud Hart Lovelace

Betsy-Tacy and Tib (Betsy-Tacy, #2) by Maud Hart Lovelace

Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill (Betsy-Tacy, #3) by Maud Hart Lovelace

Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown (Betsy-Tacy, #4) by Maud Hart Lovelace

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Aug 22, 2007 Erin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Children 5 and up, and people who love good kid-lit

Shelves: favorites, young-adult

I was so thrilled to find this hardcover collection of the first four Betsy-Tacy books (BETSY-TACY, BETSY-TACY AND TIB, BETSY AND TACY GO OVER THE BIG HILL and BETSY AND TACY GO DOWNTOWN)...a great set of memories from my childhood reading list, and it lead me to Betsy's high school adventures, which I hadn't read. An excellent gift for an elementary school reader!

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May 15, 2011 Ro Givens rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Can't believe I missed these as a child. They are great children's stories about precocious little girls (I guess by the 4th one they are actually already 12). The first 2 deal with death in a child-like way, so that's helpful if you want/need to explain this to a child. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.

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Jul 31, 2014 Jeslyn rated it it was amazing

Outstanding. Delightful. Will be purchasing multiple copies for young friends. Lois Lenski's illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to Maud Hart Lovelace''s charming stories of growing up in the Midwest in the early years of the 20th century.

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Jul 12, 2007 Sheila Mayo rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: All girls, young and old

The betsy Tacy books for the most part, took place in Mankato, Minnesota where my mother grew up. She herself read the books and then passed them to my sister and I.I passed them on to my girls who passed them on to their girls. Wonderful, endearing books with adorable illustrations.

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Jan 29, 2018 Beth rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Great read aloud with my daughter. Lots of good memories from reading them as a child, and now, sharing memories with my daughter, chuckling and discussing these long ago lives that still seem to fresh and identifiable to us.

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Jan 19, 2015 Jeannie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Great trip back to childhood.

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May 11, 2015 Penelope ~Conversations with my cat~ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I just love Betsy and Tacy! Tib too!

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Nov 22, 2019 Amy Austin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I don’t know how I missed this book series as a child, but I’m so happy my friend (and librarian) introduced me to it now. What a delight to read these uplifting childhood stories and watch Betsy and her friends grow from little five year olds to age twelve. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series. And if I ever have grandchildren, copies of this book will be sure to be under a Christmas tree!

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May 04, 2017 Beverly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, historical-novel, children-s

I loved this as much as whenI first read it as a child (maybe more) and when I re-read when my daughter was a child. From another era and corny with it, these novels are still irresistible. The goings on in Deep Valley Minnesota, patterned after the author's home town, are a delightful slice of Americana.

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May 26, 2019 Brave rated it really liked it

Betsy-Tacy: 3 stars
Betsy-Tacy and Tib: 3 stars
Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill: 4 stars
Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown: 4.5, maybe even 5 stars, I loved this one. Would've loved it even more as a child, I'm sure.

I also loved all the notes at the end about the author, illustrator, and each book. Would definitely recommend these bind-up editions.

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Maud Hart Lovelace

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Maud Hart Lovelace was born on April 25, 1892, in Mankato, Minnesota. She was the middle of three children born to Thomas and Stella (Palmer) Hart. Her sister, Kathleen, was three years older, and her other sister, Helen, was six years younger. “That dear family" was the model for the fictional Ray family.

Maud’s birthplace was a small house on a hilly residential street several blocks above ...more