{My Thoughts} – Jacob is the father to Anna and Caleb. They have been doing their best to make ends meet around their property without the help of a woman. But Jacob has decided that he is lonely and he does want the help of a woman so he puts an add in the paper asking for a wife. It doesn’t take long for him to get a reply from a lady named Sarah. Sarah is not your typical woman though. She likes to do things for herself and she has lots of beliefs in independence. So once she gets her bearings she asks Jacob to teach her how to plow the fields, how to drive the wagon and how to ride a horse. She picks it all up very quickly.

All of Sarah’s independence starts to worry Anna and Caleb though. They think she wants to learn all this stuff so that she can leave them and not come back. They think that she misses her home in Maine and isn’t interested in being their dad’s new wife and their new mother. Does Sarah want to go back home? Does she want to be married? Does she want to be stuck in a land far from everything she’s familiar with? Does she want to become a mother to two children that are quickly growing up? I suppose you will need to read the book to find out.

My daughter had brought this book home, because she needed to read it for her AR program at school. I decided to read it with her, and I must say it is a nice little story. I may need to track down the other four books to this series sometime in the future.

If you like books similar to that of the Little House on the Prairie I am quite certain you will enjoy this book as well. ( )

Independent Reading Level: Grades 3-5
1986 Newbery Medal, the 1986 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and the 1986 Golden Kite Award.

My goodness. I really liked this children's historical fiction book as a child. I'm pleased to find that my appreciation for this story of family has increased.

It's simple but not simplistic. Gentle but not fluffy. The characters' various emotions, while handled with a light touch, are real—from the youngsters to the adults. There's so much said in just a few words, and I now hear more in the story. The benefit of my adult ears added to the memory of my childhood hearing.

Back then, I enjoyed the sequel, Skylark, even more. I'm looking forward to revisiting that one too. Hopefully soon. ( )

Set in the late nineteenth century and told from young Anna's point of view, Sarah, Plain and Tall tells the story of how Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton comes from Maine to the prairie to answer Papa's advertisement for a wife and mother. Before Sarah arrives, Anna and her younger brother Caleb wait and wonder. Will Sarah be nice? Will she sing? Will she stay?

This children's literature classic is perfect for fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie books, historical fiction, and timeless stories using rich and beautiful language. Sarah, Plain and Tall gently explores themes of abandonment, loss and love.

Sarah, arriving from the seashores of Maine, contrasted with an isolated mid-western farm, makes a great story. Despite the hardships portrayed, I found the story comforting when I was younger and I still do. The book is well deserving of the Newbery Medal, among other literary accolades it has received. The TV mini-series starring Glenn Close and Christopher Walken is equally good, which is saying a lot since I generally avoid watching the Hallmark channel, especially the saccharin sweet holiday movies. (My apologies to any fans of the channel!)

Rating: 5 stars
Original date of publication: 1985 ( )