Understood Betsy

Written by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

Narrated by Bobbie Frohman

Elizabeth Ann was orphaned at an early age and raised by her maiden aunts in the busy city. Sudden illness forces the aunts to send Betsy to other relatives, The Putnams, who live in the country on a farm. Betsy learns all about the farm and making butter and applesauce and dearly loves her new life. When one of the aunts comes back and wants to take Betsy back to the city. . . such a dilemma!

Children can readily relate to Betsy who is a real girl in a real world where fortune seems to direct her life. She so loves being on the farm and doing all the things a farm girl does, including going to school. When fate again intervenes and tries to take her away from the life she loves, some manner of common sense comes into play and Betsy, though torn, bounds into another day of farm life, full of caring love for all she comes in contact with, and grows into a beautiful young lady.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alcazar Audio Works
• Release date: Jan 1, 2006
• ISBN: 9780975566398

Reviews for Understood Betsy

[jenneb_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is like totally some kind of Montessori school propaganda, those bastards!!
But it's also really sweet, it's kind of like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm or Anne of Green Gables or something, but it's all about how to be self-sufficient and be educated at your own level and have self-confidence and stuff.
Plus applesauce.

[angelab86 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A lovely story about Elizabeth Ann (Betsy) who is sent to live with relatives she's never met, when her Aunt becomes ill.

[meandmybooks-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What can I say about such an old favorite? A book which my mother read to me when I was little, and many years later I read to my children, and which I just finished reading to my mother, knowing it would offer a small measure of comfort and cheer as she is dying. I can easily see the book's “faults” – the passionate didacticism, the stock characters, the romanticism of country life – but those have become part of the book's charm for me. Reading “Understood Betsy” now, having homeschooled my children, I really appreciate Canfield Fisher's passion for educational reform (she was an early proponent of Montessori education), and any mild irritation I might feel at her earnest preachiness is overcome by affection for her charm, kindness, and wisdom. Each of Betsy's adventures, in which she grows in spirit, skills, compassion, and self-confidence, has so long been part of my mental furniture that offering an objective opinion is nearly impossible. So I'll leave it at that. This will always be a cherished favorite for me, and I hope my daughter will pull out a copy (mine may have one last reading in it) and read it to me in my last days.

[rebecca · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The kids and I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The narrator does an outstanding job with the voices.

[thebooktrunk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When this story begins, Elizabeth Ann, who is the heroine of it, was a little girl of nine, who lived with her Great-aunt Harriet in a medium-sized city in a mdedium-sized state in the midle of this country, and that's all you need to know about the place, for it's not the important thing in this story; and anyhow you know all about it because it was probably very much like the place you live in yourself.The opening of Dorothy Canfield Fisher's Understood Betsy hooked me in, and I just wanted to keep reading – and when I'd finished I just wanted to go back to the beginning and start all over again. I wish I'd come across it as a child (it is a children's book, if you haven't already guessed), but it doesn't seem to be well known in the UK, although it may be more popular in America – after all, Canfield Fisher was an American writer. In places it reminded me of The Secret Garden, while the kindly, amused authorial voice is reminiscent of Edith Nesbit, and the description of life in Vermont in the early 20th century is as fascinating and delightful as anything written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It really does deserve to be up there with classic children's authors like Edith Nesbit, Frances Hodgson Burnett, LM Montgomery and Laura Ingalls Wilder - if you like them I'm sure you will love this.Anyway, in addition to Great-aunt Harriet (who is 'not very rich and not very poor'), Elizabeth Ann's household also includes her great-aunt's daughter Aunt Frances, who gives piano lessons to little girls, and Grace, their 'girl', who is nearer 50 than 40, suffers badly asthma, and does all the cooking and housework. They are all very small and very thin, even though get plenty to eat, and Elizabeth Ann has a pale face, with frightened, wistful eyes. Delicate and nervous, she's cared for by timid Aunt Frances, a spinster who has read all the books on child rearing and wants to give Elizabeth Ann every advantage. But much as she loves the child she only succeeds in passing on her own fears and anxieties. She proudly tells everyone that Elizabeth Ann tells her everything, and so she does – but there are signs that she may not be quite as meek and mild as she appears, because when there is nothing significent to tell she makes things up to keep her aunt happy. Then Great-aunt Harriet falls ill and Elizabeth Ann ends up a thousand miles away, on a farm in Vermont, with her unknown Putney relatives, about whom she has never heard a good word. She is nervous about meeting them because she remembers being told that they showed 'such lack of sympathy, such perfect indifference to the sacred sensitivities of child-life, such a starving of the child-heart'. But Unclle Henry, Aunt Abigail and Cousin Ann know exactly how to treat a child like Elizabeth Ann – and it's not by molly coddling her and wrapping her in cotton wool. They are kind, loving, and wise, but too busy to run around after her and pander to whims and frightened fancies. They encourage, but expect her to look after herself and help around the house and farm – and that's just what she does. The fact that the Putneys are so casual and off-hand in their belief that she can do things gives her the confidence to do them. They call her Betsy, a new name for her new life, and she learns to dress and undress herself, and to do her own her hair (tied back at the nape of the neck with a ribbon, a style she has always admired). She makes butter, apple sauce and maple syrup, lays the table, and learns to sew. For the first time she plays and laughs with other children and forms friendships. And she starts to think for herself, to solve problems, to notice what is happening in the world around her, and to care for others – a kitten, the family dog, a smaller child who needs a friend. She fills out, growing strong and sturdy, acquires a suntan, and loses the nightmares and delicate digestion that have always plagued her. There's a heart-stopping moment when Aunt Frances writes to say she is coming to take Elizabeth Ann home, but this is a kind of fairy tale so, naturally, there is a happy ending (and, as I've said before, I'm a sucker for a happy ending, and this is such a happy, transformative story).I suspect that the book very much reflects Canfield Fisher's own views on child rearing and education, but she doesn't preach. I knew she was a supporter of the methods pioneered by Maria Montessori, which involved the development of a child's physical, social, emotional and cognitive well-being. But until I looked it up I had no idea how new this must have been in 1916 when Understood Betsy was published (the book is also set in that year). So I was surprised to find the small village school so child-centred, with each child assessed in each subject so work can be set according to their needs – Betsy, as we must now call her, is in the seventh grade for reading, the third for spelling, and the second for arithmetic. And the work carried out in school is part and parcel of Betsy's growth at the farm. I wondered if it was a device used by the author, or if small village schools really did work like that.

[angelag86 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A lovely story about Elizabeth Ann (Betsy) who is sent to live with relatives she's never met, when her Aunt becomes ill.

[teazle_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this children's book about a timd girl sent to live with relatives, and how the way they treated her helped her become a self-confident person. I just wish I'd met it when I was a child!

[Stephanie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love this book. We had to read it for school and I asked my mom to buy me my own copy. I love how Betsy gets to make butter and how she rescues her friend by herself. I felt pride when she figured out how to get money for the train when they were at the fair and had no ride home!

[wiley_samantha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It’s a very good book once you get through the very 1st through the first few tractors chapters but after that it’s a really great book don’t give up just because the first few chapters are terrible I would get them if they didn’t give you so much extra information

[Barbara Bell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The best recording of this book I have heard so far.

Perhaps someday a reader will give the Putney cousins the realistic New England accents that might make "Understood Betsy" even more delightful, but meanwhile, in spite of this common shortcoming, this version is very well done.

[llpollac · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When nine-year-old Elizabeth Ann's Great-aunt Harriet becomes ill and she and her Aunt Frances are no longer able to take care of her, Elizabeth Ann is sent to live with her cousins in rural Putney, Vermont. With the application of chores and country living, Elizabeth Ann, now known as Betsy, transforms from a weak, anxious, sickly child to a sturdy, independent, self-confident girl. The narrator of "Understood Betsy," originally released in 1917, is overly chatty by today's standards, especially in the first few chapters. The story development, while solid, is also easily predictable to anyone familiar with this genre. This book seems aimed at middle-grades girls. However, today's middle-grades girls might not have the background necessary to enjoy the book, and older readers with the necessary background might find the subject matter and execution childish. Overall, "Understood Betsy" is dated, and probably most enjoyable for people who have exhausted more familiar books such as "Anne of Green Gables" and "The Secret Garden."

[Brittany · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a sweet book. I never read it as a child, and enjoyed being transported back to a simpler time as an adult. I liked the style of the narrator addressing the reader directly. This wouldn't be appropriate in an adult book, but this is a children's book, and I found the maternal and loving tone to be refreshingly charming. Overall, a comforting read for children and adults alike.

[stuzle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My favorite moment in this great book is when Elizabeth starts being referred to as Betsy. The book doesn't point out this is happening, it gives the readers credit for their intelligence and lets them notice. I think this was one of the first times I realized as a girl that books don't always spell everything out, and you have read between the lines now and then! I used to wish I could be Betsy in both her lives---the pampered girls with her first set of relatives and the hardy farm girl with her second set!

[beanyncecil_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If I could give it more than five stars, I would. Just about my favorite children's book of all times and the strange thing is I didn't read it until I was in my forties. Love it, love, love it.

[mrsrish · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I discovered this book in my aunt's collection when I was about 11 or 12. The story of the sheltered girl who blossomed when she was expected to become independent and strong always fascinated me. When I grew up I learned that the author was a strong proponent of the Montessori teaching method. Coincidentally, I already had enrolled my daugher in a Montessori school for the past 7 years.

[Emily Hendricks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’ve always loved the story of Elizabeth Ann and the changes in her life due to Putney farm. The narration on this book was very well done.

[amandamay83 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely loved this book. I only didn't give it a 5-star review because I feel those should be saved for mind-blowingly good books, like "To Kill a Mockingbird." "Understood Betsy" is just one of those easy-to-read classics, in the same vein as "Pollyanna," that leave you feeling warm and fuzzy. It makes me a little sniffly that they don't write children's books like this anymore.

[whitreidtan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This chatty, conversational children's novel about a young orphan girl who goes from one set of relatives to another set and blossoms with the change is a complete delight. It's another one I had never read as a child myself but picked up because of the Shelf Discovery Challenge. Elizabeth Ann is a small, somewhat sickly, very timid child who lives with her Aunts Harriet and Frances, neither of whom are actually aunts but are related more distantly than that. Aunt Frances, who has the main care of Elizabeth Ann loves Elizabeth Ann dearly but fosters in her a very dependent relationship. She is quite fond of declaring that she "understands" this little girl left in her care. When Aunt Harriet suddenly takes sick and must go away, needing Aunt Frances, who is actually Aunt Harriet's daughter, to attend to her health, Elizabeth Ann is sent to yet more distant relatives who, not really wanting to be responsible for her care, in turn send her to her mother's aunt's family. This upheaval and plan strikes fear and shuddering into the little girl as she has heard these cousins of hers disparaged as horrible for as long as she can remember. But lo and behold, when she is finally with the "horrid Putney cousins," she comes out of her shell and starts to relish life instead of jumping at her own shadow. She learns independence and resourcefulness under the laconic and easy care of these country-living folks. Rechristened Betsy, she is expected to help around the house and to master her own fears. She finds sympathy when she needs it but is not coddled, and stops thinking that her every thought and action is of utmost importance to Cousin Ann, Aunt Abigail, and Uncle Henry. Over the months of living with these cousins, Betsy grows into a sturdy, healthy child who learns much of life and of another way to love and be loved. Written in 1917 and set in that decade, the slower, simpler way of life at the time is now nostalgic for readers. The characters are appealing and wonderful and Fisher manages to show that Betsy is happier and healthier with the Putney cousins without disparaging Aunt Frances and her more fearful, fluttery parenting style. This is a sweet book and one that I'm glad I finally made the acquaintance of.

[delphica · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Okay, it's not really that new to me because I read it as a kid, and then again for the NYBT book discussion group. It was amazing to me how many years have gone by since I've read this (although I did read it multiple times as a child) and SO MANY of the scenes and details were instantly familiar. You would think I had read it yesterday.Let's see, orphan Betsy lives with her milksoppy aunt and cousin, and when her aunt becomes ill, she is sent to live with other relatives in Vermont, who are hearty, active and self-sufficient people. At first Betsy is freaked out, then she becomes hearty, active and self-sufficient. As we might expect.Reading it now, it's a bit preachy -- Dorothy Canfield Fisher was an educational reformer and this book, obviously I think, was intended to underscore some of her ideas about the merits of a hearty, active, and self-sufficient education. It feels very heavy-handed to an adult reader. On that basis, I was going to give it three stars, but then added a star because I remember enjoying the heck out of this as a little kid and didn't notice the agenda at all (then again, also Not the Brightest Kid), and I feel that because so many of the events described in the book have stuck with me for so long speaks well of the quality of the story

[randomnickname-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A lovely early 20th century American children's book. Elizabeth Anne, a timid, coddled child, is sent to live with her New England relatives and blossoms into a capable, independent, compassionate girl. This would be a good book for reading out loud, with it's quaint habit of directly addressing the reader at points in the story.

[bettesbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I first read this book when I was 12 years old, it had belonged to my mother when she was a child. Looking for a book for the Darth-Heather challenge of “Read a book more than a hundred years old” I chose this book which was first published in 1917.In rereading this book I once again felt old feelings of learning lessons of childhood and how to be successful. Dorothy Canfield Fisher embraced the teaching methods of Maria Montessori – of indirect support and challenges to self-instruction, are reflected in Understood Betsy.This is a great book, one which I plan to read with my grandson, or perhaps I will find an audio version for him, for his after school reading. I wish teachers would encourage students to read this as Dorothy Canfield Fisher was a pioneer in children’s literature.99

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Oh, I like that. The Putneys are a very clever lot. It's great watching Betsy flower - though it does require narrator intervention to point out a lot of it (more told than shown). For that reason, I liked the Wolf Pit and the fair better than the earlier unfoldings, though those are lovely too. I meant to read it and be done, but I suspect I'll be rereading this - it's quite like Eight Cousins and The Little Princess, both favorites. And a lovely ending - a trifle convenient, but in a realistic way.