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Loading... Understood Betsy (1916)by Dorothy Canfield Fisher, Dorothy Canfield Fisher (Author)
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Reason read: AAC I enjoyed discovering this author who wrote such charming stories. This one is a middle school reader and probably no longer fits our times but the points it makes about raising children to be responsible and caring children and a bit about education makes it still a good read even today. This has been one of my favourite books since my mum gave it to me when I was a little girl. It belonged to her, and probably was passed along by someone even older—it is over a hundred years old! The edition I have is a battered hardcover with a torn binding and a big chunk of pages falling out, but I pick it up every few years and revisit it. It reads like historical fiction, though I believe it was contemporary when it was published. A little girl who was orphaned grows up with her fussy aunties in the big city, but when one of the aunties falls ill, she is shuffled off to live with some other relations in the country. On the Putney farm (and even on the journey there), she must exercise a dormant common sense and practicality, despite her abject terror. Her fussy aunties had never asked or expected her to do anything for herself, but despite that, she ends up finding an inner strength and independence that sees her through some adventures that may seem trivial, but represent tremendous leaps for a girl who had never had to use such traits. It is a charming story with a straightforward narrative voice that flows smoothly and simply. Although it was written in and for a very different time, the story and the lesson hold up very well. A fairly predictable children's tale about an orphan cared for by two very different sets of relatives, and the circumstances under which she thrives. It was clearly making a point about raising a child to think for herself, solve her own problems and value independence. Nothing to argue with there, but it's a bit heavy in its message at times. At other times, it's a delightful portrait of some excellent characters, and I enjoyed reading it. After reading this "novel for children", I discovered that the author was drawing on her exposure to Maria Montessori's educational principles in crafting the story, and that Dorothy Canfield Fisher was, in fact, instrumental in bringing the Montessori Method to the U. S., and was one of its earliest and strongest proponents. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to Publisher SeriesVintage Scholastic (TX0248) Notable Lists
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. No library descriptions found. |
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![]() GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.52Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1900-1944LC ClassificationRatingAverage:![]()
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Rules at the comfortable New England farmhouse are relaxed. Aunt Abigail serves baked beans in the kitchen, Elizabeth Ann - now called Betsy - must wash her own bowl and spoon, and her relatives expect her to walk to her new school by herself. Worst of all, nobody seems to be the least bit worried about Betsy.
Gradually Betsy comes to enjoy the "queer Putney ways" of her country cousins, not realizing that Aunt Abigail, Cousin Ann, and Uncle Henry are quietly teaching her to think for herself. Then Betsy gets a letter from Aunt Frances. She wants Betsy to come home. It's Betsy's choice. Which life should she live?