A very sweet story of two little girls growing up in a simpler time. In this day and age of social media and online games, it was refreshingly quaint to read about a time when ladies went calling, milk was delivered in horse-drawn wagons, and children's play was limited only by the scope of their own imaginations. Betsy and Tacy, both five years old, play games and explore their neighborhood with their mothers' permission but without adult supervision.The author takes Betsy and Tacy through several big life events, including the first day of school, the birth of a baby sister, and even the death of a baby sister. The situations are not treated lightly, but they convey the innocence of a child's perspective. I love that the girls show compassion and take care of each other in difficult times.
I also like that young children reading this book will probably encounter new vocabulary, even if the reading level is appropriate. First published in 1940 and presumably set it in the late 1800's or early 1900's, many frequently used words from that time are now less common. When the Kelly family moves in, Betsy sees a moving "dray", not a moving truck, and their houses have "parlors", not living rooms or family rooms.
The edition I read included some fun facts about the author and where she got her inspiration for writing the book, plus a delightful little map of the girls' neighborhood.
I think this will be a fun series to follow, and I'm looking forward to the next book.
Isabelle read this book on her own and gave it 4 stars. I couldn't get her to elaborate on why 4 and not 5. She never seems to want to talk about books that she reads on her own, and she gets annoyed when I ask her questions. Maybe I'll see if she wants to read the next one together.
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