Sarah, Plain and Tall

MacLachlan, P. (2001). Sarah, plain and tall. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Historical fiction is realistic fiction set in a time far enough from the present to be considered the past. Although the story is imaginary, it is within the realm of possibility.

This Newbery Medal winning book, of the historical fiction genre, is set in the late 19^th century and has an authentic and primitive feel. In Sarah, Plain and Tall the story is written in the first person/narrated by the little girl, Anna.

The setting is authentic for the time period as the family lives on a prairie. This creates an integral setting for the story. However, an alternate setting, or backdrop setting, is also integrated into the story as Sarah describes her home in Maine. This creates a compare and contrast event between the two settings or environments.

The theme of the story is of family. What makes a family? Sometimes there is sadness and conflict in families; however, there is always respect and love.

Booktalk:

Listen to this passage: “Did Mama sing every day?” Caleb asks his sister Anna. “Every-single-day,” she answers. “Papa sang, too.”

Do you know someone who has lost someone special in their life? This is something that is difficult for everyone in the family. I read a book titled Sarah, Plain and Tall and this book reminds me of the Little House books that I adored as a child. This is a historical fiction story that children can identify with as the main characters in the story are children. I became a part of this family who has lost their mother. The family consists of Papa, Anna, and Caleb. The family of three live alone on the plains now.  Mama died shortly after giving birth to Caleb. I wonder how difficult or frustrating it might be for Caleb, as he cannot remember mama. This has been very difficult for their family, living and moving on without Mama.  Papa has done a fine job of caring for them, but the children miss Mama terribly, still. Caleb has no memories of her and he only knows her through the stories that the family shares, where he is told of her sweetness and of her beautiful singing. It is hard for a male figure to raise a family alone and tend to the daily chores and work. So, one day Papa announces that he is looking for a wife. He has placed an advertisement in the newspaper, just as another man had done. How do you think the children would feel about a new mama? Would it be uncomfortable to have a strange woman in the house? Papa received a response from a lady named Sarah, from Maine. Sarah is willing to come for a visit! The children start to wonder…will she like the house, the family, the Plains. They began writing Sarah to become acquainted before her visit. In one of their correspondences the children wanted Papa to ask her if she sings. Later Sarah replied, “Tell them I sing.”

I used the Marking Time bookmarks as I read this book. On page 6, I noted the flashback of when Anna remembers Caleb’s birth. She stated, “It took three whole days for me to love him.”

Self-to-text connection: How is your environment different from that of Anna and Caleb?  How do they accomplish daily chores in a manner that is in contrast to how we do chores in the present time?

Classroom curriculum activity: Would you like a brother for a day? Do you need a sister for a slumber party? Someone to help you clean your room? Write a draft advertisement for a newspaper; transfer the information into a computer software program for an advertisement (to incorporate technology).