Sarah, Plain and Tall

  MacLachlan, P. (1987). Sarah, plain and tall. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

During child birth the children lose their mother, and the husband looses his wife.  Told by Anna, one of two children, this story is about children that long to have a mother and a husband that wishes to complete his family once again with a wife and mother for his chidren.  Papa begins a correspondence by mail with Sarah.

Sarah agrees to come out and live with this family to see if they can make it work.  The whole family falls in love with one another.  One day, Sarah decided to go into town on her own.  Caleb, the younger of the two children, fears that she will not return.  Eventually, she does return, and mention of a wedding is like music to the children’s ears.  

The presence of Sarah’s character is a very strong one.  She does things her way, and ultimately, she decides if she will stay, or if she will return to Maine. The theme of this book is family.  Everyone involved wants to belong to a family.  It appears that there is something missing in the lives of these individuals.  They are just searching to see if they can make it feel complete, and by the end, they do.

I thought the front cover of the book was great!  In the story, Sarah sketches drawings to send by mail or to simply keep for herself.  It helps give of sense of the time and place of when the story takes place.

-Newbery Award