The Betsy-Tacy Treasury - by Maud Hart Lovelace (Paperback)

About the Book

The first four books in the beloved Betsy-Tacy series are ready to delight a new generation ofreaders and to bring a grownup generation of readers back to the engrossingstories of their youth. Following the childhoods of Betsy Ray and her friendsin the late 1800s and early 1900s, this handsome anthology collects theoriginal Betsy-Tacy as well as Betsy, Tacy and Tib, Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill, and Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown. Forewords by Judy Blume, Esther Hautzig, and Johanna Hurwitz, andillustrations by Lois Lenski, will make readers ofall ages feel at home in the imaginative life of young Betsy Ray as she awakensto the challenges and triumphs of her home in quaint Mankato, Minnesota."

Book Synopsis

"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 generation of readers back to the engrossing stories of their youth. Following the childhoods of Betsy Ray and her friends in the late 1800s and early 1900s, this handsome anthology collects the original Betsy-Tacy as well as Betsy, Tacy and Tib, Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill, and Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown. Forewords by Judy Blume, Esther Hautzig, and Johanna Hurwitz, and the original illustrations by Lois Lenski, will make readers of all ages feel at home in the imaginative life of young Betsy Ray as she awakens to the challenges and triumphs of her home in Deep Valley (Mankato), Minnesota.

From the Back Cover

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, the moment Betsy meets Tacy, one of the most heartfelt friendships in all of children's literature begins.

The Betsy-Tacy Treasury brings together the first four books in Maud Hart Lovelace's classic series: Betsy-Tacy; Betsy, Tacy and Tib; Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill; and Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown. Tracing the girls' lives from early childhood to the brink of adolescence, Lovelace illuminates their innocent, mischievous fun and their eye-opening adventures exploring the world around them--from the stories Betsy spins from their neighborhood bench and the sand stores they run in their backyards, to their first experiences at the library, the thrill of the theater, and the sight of their first automobile.

Review Quotes

"When I was growing up in the Bronx, I had lots of friends. But the girls I most enjoyed spending time with were Betsy, Tacy and Tib . . . three girls full of good ideas, adventures and fun." - Johanna Hurwitz, award-winning author of more than sixty popular books for young readers
"At school visits, when kids ask what books I read as a child, I have only one answer: Betsy Tacy--the entire series....Truthfully, I think those were the only books I read as a child. But they were enough to make me know that characters in books had true and honest feelings and that made all the difference." - Maryann Weidt, children's book author and MN Book Award-winning picture book, Daddy Played Music for the Cows
"Family loyalty and the devotion of friends to one another, which for me are the defining characteristics of the Betsy-Tacy stories." - Esther Hautzig, award-winning author, former Director of Children's Book Promotion for Thomas Y. Crowell Co., and former publicist for Betsy's Wedding in 1955
"I am fairly certain that my independent, high-spirited grandmother must have had a childhood similar to Betsy Ray's...As I read..., I felt that I was having an unexpected and welcome peek into Granny's childhood--a gift to me from Maud Hart Lovelace." - Ann M. Martin, creator/author of The Baby-sitter's Club
"I now realize that one of the reasons I believed I could someday become a writer was because of Betsy's own infallible confidence that she would be a writer. - Mary Kay Andews, New York Times Bestselling Author
"Heavens to Betsy! It was pure bliss to slip away and into the world of these turn-of-the-century Minnesota girls, their families, their friends, their loves. . . . I now realize that one of the reasons I believed I could someday become a writer was because of Betsy's own infallible confidence that she would be a writer. . . . Don't worry if you don't have a young person to buy these delicious books for--be selfish and give 'em to yourself." - Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author