"Some characters become your friends for life. That's how it was for me with Betsy-Tacy." --Judy Blume

The First Four Books in the Betsy-Tacy Series in One Volume

With Forewords by Judy Blume, Ann M. Martin and Johanna Hurwitz

The first four books in the beloved Betsy-Tacy series, together in one volume, ready to delight a new generation of readers--and to bring a grownup generation of readers back to the engrossing stories of their youth. Following the childhoods of Betsy Ray and her friends in the late 1800s and early 1900s, this handsome anthology collects the original Betsy-Tacy as well as Betsy, Tacy and Tib, Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill, and Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown. Forewords by Judy Blume, Esther Hautzig, and Johanna Hurwitz, and the original illustrations by Lois Lenski, will make readers of all ages feel at home in the imaginative life of young Betsy Ray as she awakens to the challenges and triumphs of her home in Deep Valley (Mankato), Minnesota.

There are lots of children on Hill Street, but no little girls Betsy's age. So when a new family moves into the house across the street, Betsy hopes they will have a little girl she can play with. Sure enough, the moment Betsy meets Tacy, one of the most heartfelt friendships in all of children's literature begins.

The Betsy-Tacy Treasury brings together the first four books in Maud Hart Lovelace's classic series: Betsy-Tacy; Betsy, Tacy and Tib; Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill; and Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown. Tracing the girls' lives from early childhood to the brink of adolescence, Lovelace illuminates their innocent, mischievous fun and their eye-opening adventures exploring the world around them--from the stories Betsy spins from their neighborhood bench and the sand stores they run in their backyards, to their first experiences at the library, the thrill of the theater, and the sight of their first automobile.

Lovelace, Maud Hart

Maud Hart Lovelace (1892-1980) based her Betsy-Tacy series on her own childhood. Her series still boasts legions of fans, many of whom are members of the Betsy-Tacy Society, a national organization based in Mankato, Minnesota.