Kid's Pick ::: Betsy-Tacy

My girls and I have settled into a good read-aloud routine over lunch on most days. Typically, we work through a short chapter book at this time - the girls are busy with lunch and will sit a little longer which helps when the book has fewer pictures than our normal books that we curl on the couch to read.

Many, many years ago a good friend told me about the Betsy-Tacy books. Two little girls who are best friends and share many adventures and imaginings together. I recently reaquainted myself with the books and since my oldest is five (just like the main characters ... what a coincidence!) and we jumped right into book one, Betsy-Tacy. The girls have thoroghly enjoyed these stories - how Betsy and Tacy met, their first day of school (and how shy Tacy was), and many other adventures as they play in their neighborhood.

As you read these books, you can definately tell that they were set in a different time period. The girls (five years old!) are allowed to wander their neighborhood with no fear, climbing hills and exploring trees. Not the uber-protective society that our children are, dare I say, constrained by today. I will also share with you that in one of the chapters the little girls deal with the death of Tacy's baby sister. These books were written at a time when a child's death was not uncommon if they caught the flu or the measles. This was handled extremely tastefully - of course, a mama knows whether or not their child can handle reading this, but my girls did fine with it and it allowed for some appropriate age-level discussions about death and what happens.

If you are looking for a beginning chapter book, especially if you have little girls, we highly recommend Betsy-Tacy. Right now the girls and I are reading the second book in the series, Betsy, Tacy & Tib, where a third little girl is welcomed into their circle of friendship.

For more kid picks, head over to Five Minutes for Books!