Sarah, Plain and Tall (Paperback)
| Author: Patricia MacLachlan |
| Format: | Paperback |
Product Details:
| When Papa advertises for a new wife, Sarah appears from Maine, and the children, Caleb and Anna, love her very much but fear she is too homesick and will soon leave them *Author: MacLachlan, Patricia *Publication Date: 1987/09/01 *Number of Pages: 58 *Binding Type: Paperback *Grade Level: 3-4 *Language: English *Depth: 0.50 *Width: 5.00 *Height: 7.50 |
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From the Publisher:
"In a near-perfect miniature novel, two children experience the apprehensions and joys of the possibility of a new mother, when their father invites a mail-order bride to their prairie home."--"Booklist." 1986 Newbery Medal; ALA Notable Children's Book; IRA/CBC Children's Choice Book; "School Library Journal" Best of the Best; a "New York Times" Outstanding Children's Book; Golden Kite Award for Fiction; Christopher Award. Their mother died after Caleb was born. Their house on the prairie is quiet now, and Papa doesn't sing anymore. Then Papa puts an ad in the paper, asking for a wife, and he receives a letter from one Sara Elisabeth Wheaton, of Maine. Papa, Ana, and Caleb write back. Caleb asks if she sings. Sarah desides to come for a month. She writes Papa: I will come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall, and Tell them I sing. Anna and Caleb wait and wonder. Will Sarah be nice? Will she like them? Will she stay?
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Anna and Caleb have been without a mother since Caleb was born, so when their father advertises for a mail-order bride, the children hold their breath with anticipation. The ad brings Sarah, who comes from her home by the sea in Maine along with her cat, Seal. Anna and Caleb grow to love Sarah, who is "plain and tall", but they worry that she will hate the prairie and leave them to return to her home by the sea in Maine. Winner of the 1986 Newbery Medal.Set on the American prairie of the 19th century, this gentle book centers on a young girl named Anna and her brother, Caleb. Because their mother died giving birth to him, Caleb has no memories of her, and so it is up to Anna to share what she remembers about their mother--that she sang and that she loved flowers. The children's father, Jacob, lost without the help and companionship of his wife, places a classified ad in the newspaper for a mail-order bride. Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton, a self-described "plain and tall" woman who lives in Maine, answers. After a few letters, she agrees to come to the prairie to meet Anna, Caleb, and Jacob in person. Anna and Caleb quickly bond with Sarah, and begin hoping that she will decide to stay with them--and Jacob, too, seems taken with her honest and kindly manner. Sarah, however, is lonely for her home by the sea. Will Sarah stay and become part of their family, or will her love of the sea call her back to Maine? Illustrated with occasional B&W pencil drawings, this book won the 1986 Newbery Medal.
Praise
"A flawless piece of storytelling that touches on many aspects of longing, self-esteem, and raw family needs." - Eden Ross Lipson Booklist
"A near-perfect miniature novel."
Book Format:
