Betsy and Tacy meet Tib at the very end of Betsy-Tacy, but it is in Betsy-Tacy and Tib that the friendships flower, and the unit of two expands to include a third. Tib proves to be the perfect addition to the Betsy-Tacy duo. She ensures that Betsy and Tacy’s relationship will not become too insular, and she brings a welcome new energy to their lives. Exotically different but with a down-to-earth practicality, Tib enchants Betsy and Tacy, and brings a steady, grounding presence to their lives. In short (pun intended, for Tib is tiny!), Tib opens up their world.

Tib is German-American, the granddaughter of immigrants, and has had a very different upbringing than either Betsy or Tacy. Tib’s family instills in her a deep appreciation for heritage and a strong work ethic. Tib’s mother insists that she learn to cook, clean, and sew, even as a young child, while Tib’s father insinuates that she will someday be a “housewife” (p. 49, Harper Trophy paperback edition, 1993). Meanwhile, Betsy and Tacy have fewer domestic chores, and it is clear, even at this young age, that Betsy aspires to be a professional writer.

There are known benefits and challenges when a group of two friends becomes a group of three. Alliances are now possible, but so are new pathways for learning and understanding. Children in the modern age are exposed to so many things (bad and good) on TV, the internet, and social media, that is more important than ever that they form healthy, grounding, face-to-face friendships in which they can learn about other cultures, values, and lifestyles personally, directly. Now, just as one hundred years ago, managing the challenges of sustaining a group of three friends can help children develop critical skills of diplomacy and conflict resolution.

The friendship of Betsy, Tacy, and Tib serves as an excellent example of this. As we will see throughout the series, the girls respect and enjoy one another’s differences. They form deep, resilient bonds on the basis of those differences, not despite them. In fact, to correct the last sentence of the first paragraph in this post, the three of them open up one another’s worlds. Avoiding unnecessary alliances, supporting one another’s choices and preferences, they expand their collective horizons, and function beautifully and lovingly as a team greater than the sum of its parts.

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On Tib’s German heritage, see: Claudia Mills. “Diversity in Deep Valley: Encountering the “Other” in the Betsy-Tacy Series.” Children’s Literature, vol. 32, 2004, p. 84-111. Project MUSE. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/chl.2004.0018.