Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
This is a great book, but I think it was too old for my kindergarten and first graders. The emotional stuff was over their heads.
It had been a few years since I first read this one, so I put it back in the line-up since my memories of the story line were quite faint. I know the main character is a girl, but her growing up story is not limited to just girls. Leaving one household and moving to another provides Betsy the opportunity to really live, to be aware of life, to know what she was capable of doing and being. And this understanding brings her full circle when she is reunited with her original caretaker, her Aunt Francis. Now she knows who she is and what must be done. It is a truly wonderful story and deserves to be read by everyone.
Library.
What a great book! We read this aloud and the lessons Betsy learns, the approaches the different adults take, the feeling the reader gets from the characters is well balanced, interesting, and beautiful.
Betsy's growth and improvement over the course of the book is wonderful. She starts as a pitiable, incapable child and becomes a reliable, admirable child. The descriptions of her education at home and in the one room schoolhouse are striking examples of what teaching and learning can be. The love she is taught to express to little 'Lias, in very few words, is an example to this Mommy.
My daughter, M-girl, in particular, fell in love with this book. She could relate to Betsy as a girl near her age, and learned to love Aunt Abigail, Uncle Henry, and Cousin Ann.
This is a book I would love to add to our library.
What a great book! We read this aloud and the lessons Betsy learns, the approaches the different adults take, the feeling the reader gets from the characters is well balanced, interesting, and beautiful.
Betsy's growth and improvement over the course of the book is wonderful. She starts as a pitiable, incapable child and becomes a reliable, admirable child. The descriptions of her education at home and in the one room schoolhouse are striking examples of what teaching and learning can be. The love she is taught to express to little 'Lias, in very few words, is an example to this Mommy.
My daughter, M-girl, in particular, fell in love with this book. She could relate to Betsy as a girl near her age, and learned to love Aunt Abigail, Uncle Henry, and Cousin Ann.
This is a book I would love to add to our library.
2018 update:
I enjoyed this book much more this time around. Betsy changes so much from a little girl who is weak and fearful to a strong, confident girl. It’s a beautiful transformation.
2014: This Core B read aloud was a good story and the girls enjoyed it, but it was a little hard reading aloud in places. We all loved hearing how Betsy grew and changed as the story progressed.
I enjoyed this book much more this time around. Betsy changes so much from a little girl who is weak and fearful to a strong, confident girl. It’s a beautiful transformation.
2014: This Core B read aloud was a good story and the girls enjoyed it, but it was a little hard reading aloud in places. We all loved hearing how Betsy grew and changed as the story progressed.
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Great story to read aloud to my children! Some of the lessons in this book are truly timeless. It was also nice reading about how people used to live or learn in school.
This is an old favourite of mine, an equivalent to comfort food: I love to read about Betsy growing in confidence as she masters both smaller and bigger challenges.
Rereading it also made me notice how many female characters populate that book; Cousin Ann, in particular, is quite memorable.
Canfield Fisher established the Montessori method in the US and her beliefs in regards to this pedagogic approach twine through this book. In fact, this children book gives a nice first insight into the Montessori method.
Rereading it also made me notice how many female characters populate that book; Cousin Ann, in particular, is quite memorable.
Canfield Fisher established the Montessori method in the US and her beliefs in regards to this pedagogic approach twine through this book. In fact, this children book gives a nice first insight into the Montessori method.
2nd time reading it with my Y2 student. We listened on audio and all of the kids really enjoyed it. I already look forward to reading it again in two years!
Well, this was cute! I get the appeal of this book and I think it would be very enjoyable for younger kids, but it's a little too over the top for me as a teenager. Fun but ultimately unmemorable.