Nine-year-old orphan Elizabeth Ann has led a sheltered life ever since she was adopted by her Great-Aunt Harriet and Aunt Frances. Their overprotective parenting never let Elizabeth Ann fully experience her childhood or get along with other kids her age.

When Great-Aunt Harriet takes ill, Aunt Frances is not able to care for both her mother and their young niece, so she’s forced to send Elizabeth Ann away to stay with her late mother’s cousins in a rural farm in Vermont.

This drastic change in environment creates an opportunity for the young girl to discover who she really is and develop her own outlook on life, leaving behind the fragile and fearful nature of Elizabeth Ann to transform into the healthy, proud and confident Betsy of Vermont.

Dorothy Canfield Fisher was inspired by her background in education and her belief in the Montessori Method to write this story in which a child is able to grow at her own pace, adapt to new circumstances, and reach her full potential by doing hands-on activities, all while developing self-confidence and a personal enthusiasm for learning more about the world around her.