Betsy Griffin - Out of the Woods: A tale of positivity, kindness and courage

Dear children and adults who are reading this book, I think all childrens dreams should come true, and this has been my dream for many years to have my own book, and here it is youve either started or finished reading it

Whoever you are and wherever you are, I hope youre spandandall.

Spandandall: feeling good, upbeat and excited all at the same time.

HQ

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2022

Text Copyright Betsy Griffin 2022

Illustrations HarperCollins Publishers 2022

Betsy Griffin asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Hardback ISBN: 978-0-00-851828-8

eBook ISBN: 978-0-00-851829-5

Design & Art Direction: Emily Voller

Illustrator: Emanuel Santos

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Ebook Edition October 2022 ISBN: 9780008518295

Version 2022-09-20

This ebook contains the following accessibility features which, if supported by your device, can be accessed via your ereader/accessibility settings:

• Change of font size and line height
• Change of background and font colours
• Change of font
• Change justification
• Text to speech
• Page numbers taken from the following print edition: ISBN 9780008518288

I never thought that something this amazing would happen to me I have my own published book! There have been many people who have been very helpful, considerate and full of generosity along the way that I would like to thank.

The journey to this book all started when I was 6 years old, and I had the idea of making a YouTube channel called Betsys Positive Videos, which was created during the first lockdown. During this time, I also wrote my first attempt at a book about a parrot that eats a burger! My kind braille tutor Keren helped me produce this, including swelled pictures. I really wanted it to go on sale at my local bookshop and my lovely Daddy took me to Chorleywood Bookshop. Sheryl (the owner) accepted my unpublished book for sale and then the journey began with so many people being part of this story:

Sheryl Shurville big thanks to Sheryl at Chorleywood Bookshop for not only putting my book on the shelf but also putting us in contact with Wendy Holden. You went above and beyond for me.

Wendy Holden thank you for helping us by giving us so much of your time and wanting the very best for me. Thanks also for putting us in touch with Bev.

Bev James thank you so much, Bev, for not only being a wonderful agent but for sending me lovely voice messages and treats. Without you, this book wouldnt be here. We think your words come from your heart thats made of gold and I love your accent.

Sue Belfrage when we first met, we had a good old joke about my cuddly toys. I think we all agree that you have a spandandall sense of humour and you were just perfect for helping me with my book thank you.

Lisa Milton and the HarperCollins team thank you for being so excited about my book, always listening and for all the fantastic ideas.

Emanuel Santos thank you for doing your amazing drawings. Even though I cannot see the pictures, just knowing that they are there, that they add something to the story and that it looks like me, means a lot to me.

Fearne Cotton thank you for sending me lovely messages and spreading the love for my positive videos. I am so pleased you have done the foreword and audio for my book. Thank you for featuring me in your book too!

RNIB thank you so much for being a fantastic charity and adapting my book into braille so that I and other braille readers can enjoy it.

To Mummy and Daddy thank you for being such outstanding role models to me and supporting me with my book. I love both your wonderful sense of humours.

To my sisters, Ava and Faith thank you for being my cheeky little sisters. Despite all the arguments, I hope you know I will always love you, and I know you will always love me.

Nanny and Grandad thank you for keeping the secret of my book, having us over for sleepovers, for all the treats, but most of all for always being there for me.

All my wider family and friends thank you for always helping me, whether that be getting me through operations, treatments, or just simply cheering me on.

Staff and friends at Chorleywood Primary School Thanks for your guidance, kindness and generosity. Special shout-out to my learning support, Mrs Marandola, who has always supported and been there for me. She has taken the time to learn Braille, for which my family and I are so grateful. She is very kind, funny and passionate about me and my interests.

Keren Hedges for making wonderful resources, teaching me at 7.15 a.m. in the morning Monday-Friday, and being so committed to what she does.

Watford General Hospital for supporting me through chemotherapy and giving me the opportunity to be on Gareth Malones Christmas Concert which I loved! Special shout-out to Vasanta Nanduri for being at the end of the phone day or night.

Great Ormond Street Hospital for helping me treat my brain tumour. I always look forward to going there because they are upbeat, nurturing and hardworking.

To all you readers thank you for taking the time to read my book; I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoy it.

Every now and then a very special book comes along that has the power to help people in many ways. Luckily for you, this is one of those very books. Betsy, as youll know, is also very special. And if you dont know, youre about to find out.

My name is Fearne Cotton and Im a broadcaster which means I talk on the TV and radio and an author. Let me tell you how I know Betsy, and why I know youll love this book.

I first found out about Betsy because she is the daughter of the cousin of one of my best, and oldest friends. On many occasions I had heard from my friend Becky about how brilliant Betsy was, but it wasnt until I watched Betsys YouTube channel that I truly understood what a wise, amazing, and impactful person she is.

I was instantly struck by Betsys calm, confident delivery, and really pulled in by her charm, wit, and wisdom. I have learned so many lessons from watching her videos. Not only are they uplifting, they are also jam-packed with anecdotal advice for life.

Betsy is also unstoppable. One of my favourite videos from her channel features her talking cheerfully, just after waking up from an operation. She asked her mum and dad if she could film some of her thoughts straight after her operation, and once again, she calmly put her own life experience out there for us to learn from. She also showed us her favourite cuddly tiger which is ginormous.