Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

Bibliography:
MacLachlan, P. 1985. SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL. New York, NY: Harper & Row, Publishers. ISBN 0060241012

Plot Summary:
After the death of their mother, Caleb and Anna long for a mother that sings. Their papa, Jacob, who placed an ad in the newspaper for a wife, tells them that it has been answered by a woman named Sarah. After communicating through letters, Sarah agrees to visit for a month and the children are both hopeful and fearful about the outcome. Patricia MacLachlan writes a book about the sadness of loss and the hope of a family.

Critical Analysis:
Told from Anna’s perspective, SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL is about how a woman who enters the life of a prairie family changing both hers and their lives forever. Leaving her home in Maine, Sarah visits Anna and her family as a prospective bride and mother. The novel provides an understanding of why a family would place an ad for a bride and why a woman would accept such a position.

The characters reflect both the lifestyle and the climate in which they lived. Details about plowing the field, bathing in a wooden tub, taking care of sheep, and driving a wagon infuse the story with information about life on the plains without distracting the reader from the plot. Readers will also see the reliance a family has on each other and how community interactions were affected by the distance between farms.

MacLachlan avoids using fancy phrases in favor of simple, straightforward writing. The plain words resembles life on the plains which was a slower, simpler life than today. This is a beautiful, heartfelt book that relates the sadness of losing a loved one, the fear of not being good enough, the joy of friendship and love, and the bonds created within a family. Readers will be able to relate to these emotions and leave with the understanding that thought it might be hard to leave the things you love, you might find something that is even better.

Awards:
Christopher Book Awards 1986
Newbery Medal 1986
Jefferson Cup Award 1986
Garden State Children's Book Awards 1988
Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award 1986

Review Excerpts:
BOOKLIST
“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.”

Connections:
-Students can continue reading about Jacob, Sarah, Anna, & Caleb through these sequels: SKYLARK, MORE PERFECT THAN THE MOON, CALEB’S STORY, and GRANDFATHER’S DANCE
-The class could read and then watch the movie SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL starring Glenn Close and Christopher Walken. Afterwards the class can discuss the translation from book to film, which they preferred, and if the movie matched how they envisioned the characters.
-Other historical fiction about mail-order brides and prairie life: RODZINA by K. Cushman; THE LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE. Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder; THE BALLAD OF LUCY WHIPPLE by K. Cushman; and PRAIRIE SONG by P. Conrad and D.S. Zudeck
-For further reading students can investigate: THE NEW LAND: A FIRST YEAR ON THE PRAIRIE by M. Reynolds & S. McCallum and EVERYDAY LIFE: FRONTIER LIFE by W.A. Hazen