Betty and the Mysterious Visitor

July 17, 2023
Grandma lives in the intriguingly named village of Wobbly Bottom, where granddaughter Betty visits her each summer. Sutton (Grow: Secrets of Our DNA) paints densely worked, tapestry-like watercolors that show the vine-covered cottages opening up to Acorn Hollows— the homes’ shared garden, where Grandma grows the berries that she makes into jam and sells at the market. One morning, the garden is dug up (“a mess, a higgle and a puff”), and when Betty investigates, a moment shown in a stark b&w spread, she sees a badger pushing its striped head under the fence. What if the badger gets into the fruit cage and digs up Grandma’s treasured berries? Debut author Twist sneaks rhyme into prose lines (the badger “snuffled and sniffled and scurried along, searching for treats that were tasty and strong”) and keeps the energy high in a storybook vignette that demonstrates a child coming up with a solution. The tale’s focus on independent problem-solving is rooted in a sense of domestic security and abundance that’s supported by visual layers of pattern and color. Protagonists present as white. Ages 3–7. Author’s agent: Cait Hoyt, Creative Artists Agency.

September 15, 2023
Grades K-2 Betty adores visiting her grandmother in the tiny British village of Wobbly Bottom, and she particularly loves spending time in Acorn Hollows, the community garden shared by all the cottages. The close-knit pair has a tradition of gathering the berries growing there to make jam for the bustling farmer's market, but the idyllic scene is shattered when a mysterious unseen visitor tears through the garden and leaves nibbled, muddy destruction in its wake for many nights in a row. A determined Betty finally identifies the sneaky culprit and cleverly plots to frighten it away for good, returning Acorn Hollows to the peaceful, orderly garden of village renown. The sweet little mystery is both snug and suspenseful, and the charming text is filled with delightful phrasing ("The grass was a mess, a higgle and puff"). The glorious watercolor illustrations nearly steal the show; they're a riot of color, overflowing with detail, and young readers can spend ages taking in the minutiae on each pretty spread. The wonderful Wobbly Bottom is well worth the visit.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2023
During her summer visit to Grandma, Betty cleverly scares off the badger that's wreaking nocturnal havoc on Acorn Hollows, the neighborhood's community garden. Betty loves the Hollows; she swings in the tall oak tree and helps Grandma pick berries for the jam she sells at the village market. One morning, Betty spies a mess: Something's torn up the grass. That evening, after their return from an excellent day at the market, Betty catches a glimpse of the creature from her bedroom window. She describes it to Grandma, who suspects a badger. "Once they find a place to dig for food, they come back again and again." Indeed, the nightly damage continues. As Betty hatches a plan to frighten off the badger, Twist's occasional rhymes give way to several rhymed lines that describe Betty's preparations. She transforms her gathered supplies--sticks, string, old clothes, and objects that whirl, twinkle, and peal--into a scarecrow. That night, Betty glimpses her noisy creation frightening the badger away, "back to its den and its safe little place." Next morning, Grandma welcomes the news as worthy of celebrating with hot chocolate in the garden. New flowers will grow--and meanwhile, it's time to make more jam. Sutton's bright watercolors elevate the story with cheerful scenes of the garden, village, and market. Betty and Grandma are light-skinned; their community is diverse. A satisfying tale of a child's resourcefulness. (Picture book. 3-7)

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