2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, Middle School ; Hard Cover, Picture Book, Diversity, Historical Fiction, LGBTQIA+ ; Recommended

That’s Betty! The Story of Betty White

That’s Betty! The Story of Betty White by Gregory Borsignore is a quick and fascinating tale about Betty White’s remarkable 80-year career. The story begins with a student confidently wearing his Betty White t-shirt stating he will research her for his biography assignment about a trailblazing woman. One of his dads is supportive, but the other is not so sure, asking if maybe his son should pick somebody more traditional. But all along the reader knows a mysterious character appears on the pages with a big hat, dark glasses, pearls and a scarf who looks an awful lot like Betty White. It’s no surprise that the character is Betty herself and in true Betty fashion she is ready to tell her story with a confident flair. Together the two review all of Betty’s great accomplishments as the young boy discovers she co-hosted a live TV show in 1949 that ran for 51/2 hours a day and 6 days a week! Betty also wrote and produced her own show, The Betty White Show in 1954 when very few women were involved in TV. At this time, she casted talented Black singers and dancers and stood up to prejudice push back from the television studio. Betty simply  said  “live with it” and then gave performers such as Arthur Duncan twice as much air time as before and the audiences loved it! The illustrations are fun and colorful, taking readers on an extra special adventure in show business. The book ends with a timeline of Betty’s life, including a list of all her awards, honors and other extraordinary details about a woman with the courage to lead her life in a nontraditional way.