"It was difficult, later, to think of a time when Betsy and Tacy had not been friends. Hill Street came to regard them almost as one person. Betsy's brown braids went with Tacy's red curls, Betsy's plump legs with Tacy's spindly ones, to school and from school, up hill and down, on errands and in play. So that when Tacy had the mumps and Betsy was obliged to make her journeys alone, saucy boys teased her: 'Where's the cheese, apple pie?' 'Where's your mush, milk?' As though she didn't feel lonesome enough already! And Hill Street knew when Sunday came, even without listening to the rolling bells, for Betsy Ray and Tacy Kelly (whose parents attended different churches), set off down Hill Street separately, looking uncomfortable and strange.

"But on this March afternoon, a month before Betsy's fifth birthday, they did not know each other. They had not even seen each other, unless Betsy had glimpsed Tacy, without even knowing her for Tacy, among the children of assorted sizes moving into the house across the street. Betsy had been kept in because of bad weather, and all day she had sat with her nose pasted to the pane. It was exciting beyond words to have a family with children moving into that house.

"Hill Street was rightfully named. It ran straight up into a green hill and stopped. The name of the town was Deep Valley, and a town named Deep Valley naturally had plenty of hills. Betsy's house, a small yellow cottage, was the last house on her side of Hill Street, and the rambling white house opposite was the last house on that side. So of course it was very important. And it had been empty ever since Betsy could remember.

"'I hope whoever moves in will have children,' Betsy's mother had said."

from the beginining of Betsy-Tacy

This page is dedicated to all of us who thought that we were the only one who had ever read the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace. Perhaps now is the first time you are realizing that there are others who have read Betsy-Tacy, or perhaps you are a member of one of the societies, a participant on the listserv, or a reader of the new and exciting Betsy-Tacy scholarship now being published. Maybe this webpage is the first you have ever heard of the well-loved series about girls growing up in turn-of-the century Minnesota. Whatever the case, please read on to find out about Betsy-Tacy, Maud, the societies, the listserv, and much more.

If you have any comments or questions, or if you would like to contribute to this page, please e-mail me! And if this is the first you are hearing of Betsy-Tacy, I encourage you to read the books!!

This DVD is a revision of Heritage Production's 1983 sound filmstrip, the 14-minute biography that has been used for many years in classrooms and media centers. Digital technologies have allowed the addition of color, music and video. The revised DVD also includes a study guide, with a section about media literacy and how Oxcart changed the original production.

Orders may be sent to:
Oxcart Productions
c/o Lyn Lacy
4309 42nd Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55406

Just published: Letters from Maud: A Visual Collection of Letters Written by Maud Hart Lovelace. Includes Thomas Edwards' book reviews of the Betsy-Tacy series

Maud Hart Lovelace's Deep Valley: A guidebook of Mankato Places in the Betsy-Tacy Series by Julie A. Schrader

Future In A Handbasket: The Life and Letters Behind Carney's House Party by Amy Dolnick

The 1998 Warner Brothers' movie You've Got Mail starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks features the Betsy-Tacy books. Early in the film, Meg Ryan's character recommends Betsy-Tacy, Betsy-Tacy and Tib, and Betsy-Tacy Go Over the Big Hill to the character played by Hallee Hirsh. Tom Hanks' character then buys all the books for her. Good choice!

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The Betsy-Tacy books and illustrations are copyrighted by HarperCollins.
All copyrighted material appears here courtesy of HarperCollins.

This page created and maintained by Nava Cohen
To reach me: [email protected]