It surprises me when I read a classic book or series that I find I love but that I somehow missed as a kid. I feel like I missed out of a precious part of childhood.
Yet, it’s also so fun to “discover” a wonderful children’s story as an adult.
My two latest newly-discovered classic children’s series are by Maud Hart Lovelace: The Betsy-Tacy Books and Deep Valley Books.
Both of these series are set in the fictional town of Deep Valley, Minn., in the late 1800s/early 1900s and are based on Lovelace’s childhood in Mankato, Minn.
The Betsy-Tacy Books feature Betsy–the fictionalized Lovelace–and her lifelong friend, Tacy–Lovelace’s friend, Francis “Bick” Kenney.
The two girls live across the road from each other and become friends at Betsy’s fifth birthday party.
Each of the ten books in the Betsy-Tacy Books covers about a year in Betsy’s life, beginning when Betsy turns five and follows her through high school graduation and young adulthood.
The Deep Valley Books each feature a different protagonist, but they’re set during Betsy’s life, and Betsy shows up in all three stories.
I enjoyed spending more time in Deep Valley with the familiar characters and to see Betsy through other characters’ viewpoints.
I liked Betsy a lot. She has a huge imagination, wants to be a writer, often leads her friends in fun adventures, but she also has a tender heart. Her friends, Tacy and Tib, have very different personalities, making the trio a great team.
But I think I identified more with Emily (in the last Deep Valley book) because of her more introspective and introverted personality.
Although Lovelace’s stories are gentle and heart-warming, she does reference hard things the characters experience. For instance, a nearby settlement of Lebanese immigrants deals with poverty and discrimination, and other characters fight illness, lose family members, and make sacrifices to take care of family.
Yet a theme that runs through the novels is of characters making the best of their situations and overcoming their hardships or disappointments.
All thirteen books are odes to imagination, family, and friendships. They inspire me to be a better friend. They also inspire me to take joy in the simple pleasures of life.
Plus I learned a lot about Minnesota in the early 1900s without even trying to “study history.” I became immersed in Betsy’s and the other characters’ lives and experienced with them their current events, school, family life, homemaking, transportation, food, and entertainments.
The titles in their series and their year of publication follows.
Betsy-Tacy Books
Betsy-Tacy (1940)
Betsy-Tacy and Tib (1941)
Betsy-Tacy Go Over the Big Hill (1942)
Betsy-Tacy Go Downtown (1943)
Heaven to Betsy (1945)
Betsy in Spite of Herself (1946)
Betsy Was a Junior (1947)
Betsy and Joe (1948)
Betsy and the Great World (1952)
Betsy’s Wedding (1955)
The Deep Valley Books
Carney’s House Party (1949)
Emily of Deep Valley (1950)
Winona’s Pony Cart (1953)
I suggest reading them in the chronological order of the stories:
Betsy-Tacy
Betsy-Tacy and Tib
Betsy-Tacy Go Over the Big Hill
Betsy-Tacy Go Downtown
Winona’s Pony Cart
Heaven to Betsy
Betsy in Spite of Herself
Betsy Was a Junior
Betsy and Joe
Carney’s House Party
Emily of Deep Valley
Betsy and the Great World
Betsy’s Wedding
The illustrators added to the delight of these books. Lois Lenski illustrated the first four books, and Vera Neville did the rest of the books.
If you’re a fan of the Little House Books or the Anne of Green Gables Series, give the Betsy-Tacy and Deep Valley Books a try.
In addition, check out the the Betsy-Tacy Society website for more info about Lovelace and her home in Mankato, Minn.
Have you read these books? If so, who do you relate to the most? Who inspires you? What’s your favorite scene or book? Have you visited the Betsy-Tacy homes? What classic children’s book that you missed as a child is on your to-read list?