Do you have lots of odds & ends in your blog Drafts?
I cleared most of mine out a while ago, but this morning, having gotten up earlier than usual, I went through the remainders and found a painting I'd saved this summer after I finally read some Betsy–Tacy books.
I always thought I should read the B&T books because their author, Maud Hart Lovelace, grew up south of here, in Mankato, Minnesota, and as an adult moved to Minneapolis. She wrote about her childhood in the B-T books for her daughter.
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| Delos and Maud Hart Lovelace with daughter Merion, ca. 1931, via MN Historical Society |
It's surprising how captivating it can be to read about two little girls whose adventures in the first book, titled Betsy-Tacy, include sitting on a bench with a sandwich. They also visit a new neighbor, who serves them cambric tea. My mother used to make cambric tea, but she called it tea-kettle tea: it's tea, milk, and sugar... without the tea, so it's pale white, like cambric fabric (in the painting I'd saved > > > but no info about it...).
My mother also added a little zest of orange peel.
I loved the B-T books when the girls are little and the books are illustrated by Lois Lensky (I don't care for the new American Girl-style illustrations). When Betsy goes to high school and the illustrator changes, I lost interest.
Had to research this. Surely, I shelved some, the author is familiar, even the titles, but never read them. Don't recall them from my library as a kid.
ReplyDeleteHolds placed now, though. Thanks.
Whoo-hoo, more Betsy-Tacy readers! And yes, a lot of people make the division you made, preferring either "the childhood books" illustrated by Lenski or "the high school books" illustrated by Neville. I completely get why Betsy's boy-craziness turns you off in the H.S. books; may I make a plea for you to try "Emily of Deep Valley" (many cite this as their favorite; it is quite different in tone from the other books) and "Betsy and the Great World" when Betsy leaves her Deep Valley Crowd and tours Europe before the Great War? I think you might like both.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that there's a Betsy-Tacy songbook? I bet some of your residents would know these old songs.
LADY C:
ReplyDeleteThat B-T songbook looks great---alas, a bit outside our budget... I'll keep an eye open.
OK, on your recommendation, I will look up EDV and the Great World, since I did love the earlier books so much.
Thanks!