"Saran, Plain and Tall"

Sarah, Plain and Tall
Author: Patricia MacLachlan
No Illustrator
Genre: Chapter Book
Subgenre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Theme: Family Loss, Hope for a new future
Primary/Secondary Characters: Anna, Caleb, Papa (Jacob), Sarah
Date of Publishing: Year 1985
Publishing Company: Harper Collins Publishers
Awards: Newbery Award Winner & Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award Winner

Summary: The mother of young Anna and Caleb died when Caleb was born. The two children were left to grow up motherless, with a single father who had an entire farm to care for in itself. Papa is lonely as he tries to take care of the two children, but a mother figure was definitely needed in the household. Their neighbors are far away, and the farm seems lonely and isolated, so there are no women for papa to potentially meet. Caleb always asks Anna what life was like when Mama was around, and she wish he had gotten to know her, just as she had. Papa puts an ad in the newspaper for a potential wife, and gets a response from a woman from Kansas, named Sarah. Sarah writes the family letters, as they ask her questions; Anna even asks Sarah if she can braid hair! Sarah is a lanky woman who considers herself "plain" and fairly simple. Sarah moves to the farm with the family, but grows homesick. She returns to Kansas for a short trip and the children are worried she will never return, as they had grown close to Sarah as she treated the children as their own. Papa ends up marrying Sarah and the children have a woman figure to love and care for them, even if she is just "plain and tall".
This novel could be used in the classroom in a variety of ways. I, personally, was motherless as a child and know what it is like. Many children experience the loss of a parent, and are left with an empty void that only a mother figure can fill. This book allows children to relate, as Anna and Caleb are young like many other children, and feel the same feelings many children may be feeling. As this book takes place in the early 1900's, some history shows through, which can be informative to the young reader, as well. This short chapter book is an easy read, and many children will be able to relate to the circumstances present.