Anyone who fondly remembers how the fresh air of the moors puts a blush in the cheeks of sallow young Mary in The Secret Garden will love Dorothy Canfield Fisher's Understood Betsy just as much. First published in 1916, this engaging classic tells the tale of a thin, pale 9-year-old orphan named Elizabeth Ann who is whisked away from her city home and relocated to a Vermont farm where her cousins, the "dreaded Putneys," live. The Putneys are not as bad as her doting, high-strung Aunt Frances warns, however, and Elizabeth, who had been nurtured by her aunt like an overwatered sapling--positively blooms under their breezy, earthy care.

Elizabeth Ann's first victories are small ones--taking the reins from Uncle Harry, doing her own hair, making her own breakfast--but children will revel in the awakening independence and growing self-confidence of a girl who learns to think for herself... and even laugh. Along the way, "citified" readers of all ages will get a glimpse into the lives of people who are truly connected to the world around them--making butter ("We always bought ours," says Elizabeth Ann), experiencing the "rapt wonder that people in the past were really people," and understanding the difference between failing in school and failing at life. Fisher is a wise, personable storyteller, steeped in the Montessori principles of learning for its own sake, the value of process, and the importance of "indirect support" in child rearing. She also captures the tempestuous emotional life of a child as few authors can, crafting a story that children will find deeply satisfying. And in the end, readers will have grown as fond of the happier, stronger "Betsy" as the gentle, unassuming Putneys have.

Loving care was dolloped on this 1999 reissue of an old favorite--with sweet new pencil illustrations by Kimberly Bulcken Root, and an introduction and afterword by Eden Ross Lipson that offer a historical context for the book and its author. (Ages 8 to 12) --Karin Snelson


Book Description
For all of her nine years, fragile Elizabeth Ann has heard her Aunt Frances refer in whispers to her "horrid Putney cousins." But when her aunt can no longer care for her, Elizabeth Ann must leave her sheltered life to live in the wilds of Vermont with those distant relatives.

In the beginning, Elizabeth Ann is shocked by country living--pets are allowed to sleep in the house and children are expected to do chores! But with country living comes independence and responsibility, and in time, Elizabeth Ann finds herself making friends and enjoying her new family. When the year is up and Aunt Frances comes to get her niece, she finds a healthier, prouder girl with a new name--Betsy--and a new outlook on life.

Understood Betsy has delighted generations of young readers since it was first published by Henry Holt and Company in 1917. Kimberly Bulcken Root's charmingly detailed illustrations capture the winning spirit of this classic.



Download Description
When she put Deborah into Betsy's arms, the child felt that she was receiving something very precious, almost something alive. She and Ellen looked with delight at the yards and yards of picot-edged ribbon, sewed on by hand to the ruffles of the skirt, and lifted up the silk folds to admire the carefully made, full petticoats and frilly drawers, the pretty, soft old kid shoes and white stockings.


Card catalog description
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.


From the Publisher
5 1/4 x 7 5/8 trim. LC 99-71046


About the Author
Dorothy Canfield Fisher was a pioneer in children's literature. In addition to writing more than fifty books for children, she was a co-founder of the Book-of-the-Month Club and a key reviewer for The New York Times. While Ms. Fisher lived most of her life in New York City, she retained an enormous affection for the hills of Vermont, where she was raised.

Kimberly Bulcken Root has illustrated over fifteen books for children, most recently, Birdie's Lighthouse. She and her husband, illustrator Barry Root, live with their children in Quarryfield, Pennsylvania.

Eden Ross Lipson is the Children's Book Review Editor of the New York Times Book Review.

ANNOTATION

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.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

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.

SYNOPSIS

A well-loved classic is once again available.

FROM THE CRITICS

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 Review

Children's Literature - Ellen R. Braaf

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 - Elizabeth Spires