12 Sep / Betsy Red Hoodie by Gail Carson Levine, illustrated by Scott Nash
Eight years after making her debut in Betsy Who Cried Wolf!, young shepherd Betsy is back … although she’s managed to age only a year in all that time. We oldsters should get her secret!
Now that she’s turned 9, Betsy’s old enough to take cupcakes to Grandma all by herself!. Zimmo, Bray Valley’s other shepherd and Betsy’s best friend – who also happens to be a wolf, as it were – begs to come along. “‘You have to stay home,'” Betsy explains to him. “‘Wolves aren’t good for grandmas.’ Long ago a wolf had eaten a grandma.”
But Zimmo has “never hurt a person or a sheep,” so Betsy relents and off they go. Their journey together is constantly interrupted by doubting passers-by who can’t believe that Zimmo is to be trusted. Betsy stays firm in her belief in her friend’s goodness … until he runs off ahead and doesn’t come back. Suddenly she’s worried and must get to Grandma’s, although traveling with sheep is not the fastest mode of transportation.
Of course, she need not have panicked – or doubted Zimmo’s goodness, tsk tsk! Hugs, kisses, and cupcakes are just waiting around the corner for Betsy (and her wise-cracking sheep, too). And, at 9 years old, she’s learned a good lesson … always trust your true friends. They’ll make sure you have delicious birthdays!
Readers: Children
Published: 2010