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Overview
Thanks to loving but over-protective guardian aunts, Elizabeth Ann is a fearful, self-absorbed, nine-year-old hypochondriac. Most terrible on her list of fears is "those horrid Putney, Vermont cousins" her aunts shudder at mentioning. When they are suddenly no longer able to care for her, she is, incredibly, sent to live with those very cousins. Upon arrival in Vermont, she is immediately invited by Uncle Henry to drive the carriage. Steering the fearsome horses begins her adventures in New England - and independence. Rules at the comfortable farmhouse are relaxed. Aunt Abigail serves baked beans in the kitchen, Elizabeth Ann - now Betsy - must wash her own dishes, and is expected to walk to school alone. Gradually Betsy comes to enjoy the "queer Putney ways" of her country cousins, not realizing that they are teaching her to think for herself. When the aunts write inviting her to return, Betsy must make a difficult choice.Timid and small for her age, nine-year-old Elizabeth Ann discovers her own abilities and gains a new perception of the world around her when she goes to live with relatives on a farm in Vermont.
Editorials
Emilie Buchwald
This edition is a pleasure to hold and to read. I hope that it will introduce another generation to Understood Betsy, a book that will continue to warm readers well into the next millennium. Riverbank ReviewChildren's Literature -
Nine-year-old Elizabeth Ann, who was orphaned as a baby, lives in the city with her two doting aunts. They suffocate her with love, dedicating all their energies to her care. When Aunt Harriet becomes ill, Elizabeth Ann is ordered away by the doctor. Having heard terrible things about her cousins, the Putneys of Vermont, she's terrified when she has to go live with them. As soon as she gets off the train in Vermont, Elizabeth Ann's life is never the same. Her much-feared Great-uncle Henry gently begins the transformation when--with only a brief explanation of how to control the horses--he hands her the reins and lets her drive their wagon home. With the Putney's love and encouragement, the coddled, frail and insecure Elizabeth Ann changes into the robust, confident, and capable Betsy. Dorothy Canfield Fisher's commitment to the Montessori philosophy is evident in this delightful and heartwarming classic. The pencil drawings by Kimberly Bulcken Root add charm to this new edition. 1999 (orig.New York Times Book Review
Understood Betsy is sure to delight a new generation of very busy, overscheduled chidren whose own chances for early independemce and initiative are limited. It may even teach their parents a thing or two about the best way to raise a child.—Elizabeth Spires
From the Publisher
"Understood Betsy is as satisfying in its evocation of an earlier, simpler way of life as Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, and psychologically more acute. Fisher is a master of presenting, in a low-key, humorous way, a 'New Englandy' way of doing and saying things . . . Understood Betsy is sure to delight a new generation of very busy, over-scheduled children whose own chances for early independence and initiative are limited. It may even teach their parents a thing or two about the best way to raise a child." --New York Times Book ReviewBook Details
Published
September 4, 2011
Publisher
CreateSpace
Pages
110
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9781466233539