Beti and the little round house

Review by Booklist Review

Inspired by award-winning Atinuke's experience raising her son in a small house constructed out of straw and clay in the woods of Wales, this early chapter book introduces a charming young girl and her adventures in the verdant countryside. Beti and her parents and toddler brother live off the grid and close to nature in a simple round house made of "trees and grass and earth. Just like the woods." Four connected short stories follow Beti through the seasons as she explores her idyllic surroundings. In spring, the child searches for edible flowers to decorate her birthday cake and receives a mischievous baby goat as a present. In summer, Beti resourcefully fills a water jug from the stream, with a little help from her friends. She braves the elements in fall and winter, seeking shelter from storms and facing her fears. Atinuke's accomplished storytelling is rich with vivid descriptions and an easygoing patter. Hughes' gently drawn pencil vignettes appear throughout. Warmly inviting, this book has a timeless appeal.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

---

Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Atinuke (L Is for Love) draws from her experiences having moved from a "mansion" in Lagos to Wales, where she lived with her son in a "roundhouse built of straw and clay in the woods," to showcase a life lived "simply on the land" in four gentle tales, which read like a cozy hug. Young Beti lives with her family in their "little round house," which her parents built deep in the forest. She relishes the beauty of her surroundings; the creator brings to life the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of Beti's world via lush and luminous storytelling. Starting with her birthday--during which Beti is given a goat named Naughty, who lives up to its name when it ruins her celebratory cake--the connected stories introduce the girl's vibrantly depicted community and detail Beti's penchant to turn ordinary outings like filling a jar for the family's daily water supply into epic adventures. Illustrations rendered in muted pastels by Hughes (The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick) mirror the cheerful warmth of the stories; characters have varying skin tones. Ages 7--9. (Oct.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

---

Review by Horn Book Review

Fans of Atinuke's beloved chapter-book series know that Anna Hibiscus "lives in Africa. Amazing Africa" and Too-Small Tola "lives in Lagos, unbelievable Lagos." Now we meet protagonist Beti, who lives with her mother, father, and baby brother in a "little round house in the green woods under the mountains," with no running water or cellphones but with friendly farm animals and close friends and good neighbors nearby. In four brief sections, each set during a different season, readers follow this lively child's small-scale adventures. The book opens in spring, on Beti's birthday, with party preparations, including helping Mam bake a cake and then foraging for flowers to decorate it ("and pick some salad too!" says her father). She refuses to wear a party dress; her friends arrive; her birthday gift is...unexpected, as is her reaction to it. Beti is a classic Atinuke protagonist, with her age-appropriate highs and lows; her individuality and three-dimensionality; her moods, mischief, and creative problem-solving. The setting is painted through homey, specific details in the text and in Hughes's (illustrator of the Charlie & Mouse early readers, among others) frequent spry, eye-pleasing illustrations, a mix of black-and-white and color, spot art and full-bleed section openers. Atinuke's introductory note describes living in Wales in "a roundhouse built of straw and clay in the woods. It was a life of magic, and of mud," both on display in this engaging and memorable chapter book. Elissa GershowitzNovember/December 2024 p.80 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

---

Review by Kirkus Book Review

Sweet, precocious Beti and her baby brother, Jac, live in a little woodland house built by their parents, Mam and Tad. Made up of four sections that span the year, the book opens in spring with Beti celebrating her birthday. Tad gives her a goat ("So you can have milk every day!"). Beti's initially irritated by Goat's rambunctious baby but eventually comes to appreciate her gifts. The second tale takes place in summer, when Beti and her friends rely on the power of teamwork as they travel to the waterfall to refill the family's water jar. In autumn, Beti goes berry picking with Mam, then gets separated from Tad during a storm that rages like a dragon. Winter sees Mam and Jac dealing with colds when Tad is away visiting Granny in town, leaving it up to Beti to care for the animals. Though Beti tries to do everything right, things often go awry, but she can count on reassurance from Mam and Tad. Depicting a loving, tightknit community of friends and neighbors, Atinuke weaves an enchanting world where characters live off the land, eschew technology (cell phones exist, but Mam and Tad opt not to use them), support one another, and appreciate the small pleasures of life. The author creates a sense of warmth and tranquility, while Hughes' lush, verdant illustrations evoke comfort and safety--this is a world readers will eagerly return to. Tad, Beti, and Jac present Black, while Mam appears white. An absolute charmer.(Chapter book. 5-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

---

AUTHOR'S NOTE I lived in a mansion in the city of Lagos in Nigeria when I was a child. But when I grew up, I moved to Wales in the UK. There I lived with my toddler son in a roundhouse built of straw and clay in the woods. It was a life of magic, and of mud. You can learn how to build your own roundhouse with the help of a few adults, using the books Building a Low Impact Roundhouse and A Simple Roundhouse Manual by Tony Wrench. People all over the world live simply on the land--whether they embrace modern ways or prefer to follow more traditional ones. Follow your heart and the stars--they will show you your way. Who's Naughty? Beti lives in a little round house in the green woods under the mountains. She lives with Mam and Tad and baby Jac. Mam and Tad built that little round house in such a sunny spot. The house has thick earth walls that keep it warm and cozy. Tree trunks hold up the grassy roof with its cheerful chimney. It is a house made of trees and grass and earth. Just like the woods. Beti loves the little round house. In the spring the roof is covered with bright and beautiful flowers. And when it rains, Beti can stand on the doorstep and catch the sparkling raindrops in her hands. It's not just Beti and Mam and Tad and Jac who live in the woods. Mr. Grouch lives there too in a tumbledown round house. And Beti's little friend Billie lives with her mother, Fern, in a very ferny house. Marching ants, digging moles, flickering fireflies, creeping foxes, squeaking dormice, rustling hedgehogs, and lots of other animals live in the woods too. And there are blackbirds, robins, woodpeckers, owls, and lots and lots of other birds. Mr. Grouch says the birds make such a racket in the spring, it gives him a headache! This morning, the birds are singing such a loud song that they wake Beti up. Tiny green leaves are waving at her through the window. And Beti feels like singing too, because it is spring, and today it is Beti's birthday. It is always spring on Beti's birthday. Beti jumps out of bed. Tad smiles. "Happy birthday!" Mam smiles. "Happy birthday!" "Is it time for my party yet?" asks Beti. Beti always has a party on her birthday. And her friends always come. They have a picnic. Always. Even when it's raining and it has to be inside. "It's time to get ready for your party," says Mam. She is pouring flour into a big wooden bowl. Beti helps to crack the eggs. She helps to beat them too. Jac is busy licking the spoons. When the cake goes in the oven, Mam says, "You could go and pick some flowers, Beti, to decorate the icing on the cake." "And pick some salad too!" calls Tad, who is making sandwiches. So Beti skips out with her basket. She doesn't pick the flowers around the little round house. Tad says they make the garden pretty. Instead Beti goes into the woods. There are banks of purple bluebells, and scattered starry wood anemones. There are yellow marsh marigolds cheering up the boggy bits, and pretty cuckoo flowers that are neither white nor pink. Those are all very pretty, but no good for decorating cakes because you can't eat them. Beti knows that. So she picks pale yellow primroses that taste as sweet as honey. And she picks tiny purple violets that taste as good as sweets. Beti starts to stomp home. Then she remembers the salad. Luckily, growing along-side an old stone wall is a carpet of wild garlic leaves. Beti picks some of the garlicky leaves and breaks off juicy round pennywort leaves growing out of the wall next to brambles. Beti pinches off furry bramble tops that taste like bitter oranges. From the trees that grow out of the wall, Beti plucks feathery hawthorn leaves and silky beech leaves. Then Beti looks at the big white pom-pom flowers on the wild garlic plants. They would look pretty on her cake. As she walks home, Beti passes sticky goosegrass and pointy dandelion and plantain leaves. Beti looks away. She does not want those bitter leaves in her birthday salad! "Well done!" says Tad. Beti makes a pile of flowers to decorate the cake, and a pile of leaves for the salad. When Mam sees the big white pom-pom flowers, she laughs. "Wild garlic flowers!" she says. "Try one." Beti pops one of the pom-poms in her mouth. It's crunchy and very, very garlicky! "Not right for cake?" asks Mam. Beti shakes her head, frowning. Tad smiles. "But perfect for salad!" Beti nods and puts the pom-poms in the bowl with all the bright green leaves. It makes the salad look very happy! Next, Beti helps Mam hang yellow and red bunting all around the clearing. She helps Tad lay a big thick blanket under the old oak tree. They lay a bright red tablecloth on top and pull it as straight as they can. The branches of the oak tree reach nearly to the ground, so sitting under the tree is like sitting in a cave. All over the branches sprout tiny, curly new spring leaves. Between the leaves peeps the gentle sunshine, dappling the red tablecloth in golden light. Beti loves the old oak tree. She can't wait for her friends to arrive! Excerpted from Beti and the Little Round House by Atinuke All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

---