Cover of Slovenly Betsy

Slovenly Betsy

  • Free to read
  • 10 min read
  • 10 chapters
  • Reading level: 6th grade

"Slovenly Betsy" by Heinrich Hoffmann is a children's book likely written in the early 20th century. This book is a collection of cautionary tales that feature various characters, particularly focusing on young children and their misadventures due to their poor habits or behavior. The illustrations included in the original design enhance the storytelling, making it visually appealing for its intended young audience. The central story revolves around a girl named Betsy, who is notoriously careless about her personal hygiene and appearance. Her slovenly habits lead her to endure shame and ridicule from her peers, culminating in a particularly embarrassing incident where she gets muddy after playing in the rain, which prompts a change in her behavior. The book continues with other tales that explore themes such as pride, jealousy, laziness, and gluttony through characters like Phoebe Ann, Pauline, and Charlotte, each encountering consequences for their actions. Overall, "Slovenly Betsy" serves as a moral lesson for children, encouraging them to adopt better habits and behaviors through entertaining and relatable narratives.

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  • Stories in rhyme
  • Behavior
  • Children's stories, German · Translations into English

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Slovenly Betsy

by

With Numerous Illustrations
in Color from the
Original Designs by
Walter Hayn

Applewood Books Bedford, Massachusetts This edition of Slovenly Betsy was originally published in 1911.

Betsy would never wash herself
When from her bed she rose,
But just as quickly as she could
She hurried on her clothes.
To keep her clothes all nice and clean
Miss Betsy took no pains;
In holes her stockings always were,
Her dresses filled with stains.
Sometimes she went day after day
And never combed her hair,
While little feathers from her bed
Stuck on it here and there.
The schoolboys, when they Betsy saw,
Would point her out, and cry,
"Oh! Betsy, what a sight you are!
Oh! Slovenly Betsy, fie!"

One rainy day her parents went
Some pleasant friends to meet.
They took Betsy along with them,
All dressed so clean and neat.
Nice little boys and girls were there,
With whom our Betsy played,
Until of playing she grew tired,
And to the garden strayed.
Out in the rain she danced awhile,
But 'twas not long before
Flat down she tumbled in the mud,
And her best clothes she tore.

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Contents

  1. Slovenly Betsy
  2. Phoebe Ann, the Proud Girl
  3. The Dreadful Story of Pauline and the Matches
  4. What Happened to Lazy Charlotte
  5. The Cry-Baby
  6. The Story of Romping Polly
  7. The Story of a Dirty Child
  8. Envious Minnie
  9. The Little Glutton
  10. Sophie Spoilall

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About this edition

This free edition of Slovenly Betsy by Heinrich Hoffmann comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #19915, released 2006-11-24. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Children & Young Adult Reading.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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