Betsy was born in Brooklyn, New York. Most of her childhood was spent in New York City, in a house filled  books. It was then that she grew to love books and reading.

    Before she became  writer, Betsy taught kindergarten (幼儿园) and first grade. For her, the best part of the school day  (be)story time, when she could share her favorite books with the class. She decided  (try) writing her own children's books after she met her husband, illustrator (插画家) Giulio. Together, they have  (create) many books. She writes the words, and he draws the pictures.

    Betsy believes that writers should always edit (编辑) their own work and then ask someone else to look it over. "Your editor can be your teacher, one of your parents, your older brother  sister, or someone in your class who is good at  (write). Your editor will see your work  (different) from the way you see it, so you will get a new point of view (见解)."

    Betsy and her husband like to travel, and they sometimes do research for their books on  (they) trips. They also enjoy talking to students when they visit schools and  (library).