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Patricia MacLachlan
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Sarah, Plain and Tall Paperback – September 4, 1987

by Patricia MacLachlan (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 2,614 ratings
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When Papa's new wife, Sarah, arrives from Maine, the children begin to love her but fear that she will one day leave them.
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  1. Reading age
    8 - 10 years, from customers
  2. Book 1 of 5
    Sarah, Plain and Tall Saga
  3. Print length
    64 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    1 - 5
  6. Lexile measure
    650L
  7. Dimensions
    5.12 x 0.19 x 7.62 inches
  8. Publisher
    HarperCollins
  9. Publication date
    September 4, 1987
  10. ISBN-10
    0064402053
  11. ISBN-13
    978-0064402057
  12. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"An exquisite, sometimes painfully touching tale." -- -- The New York Times

"In a near-perfect miniature novel, two children experience the apprehensions and joys of the possibility of a new mother..." -- -- BL.

"Terse writing and poetic rhythm flow to create a tender story about the fragile beginnings of a family relationship..." -- -- School Library Jornal

From the Back Cover

"Did Mama sing every day?"
Caleb asks his sister Anna.
"Every-single-day," she answers.
"Papa sang, too."

Their mother died the day after Caleb was born. Their house on the prairie is quiet now, and Papa doesn't sing anymore. Then Papa puts an ad in the paper, asking for a wife, and he receives a letter from one Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton, of Maine. Papa, Anna, and Caleb write back. Caleb asks if she sings.

Sarah decides to come for a month. She writes Papa: I will come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall, and Tell them I sing. Anna and Caleb wait and wonder. Will Sarah be nice? Will she like them? Will she stay?

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins; Reprint edition (September 4, 1987)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 64 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0064402053
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0064402057
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 10 years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 650L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 1 - 5
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.56 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.12 x 0.19 x 7.62 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 2,614 ratings

About the author

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Patricia MacLachlan

Patricia MacLachlan

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Patricia MacLachlan was born on the prairie, and to this day carries a small bag of prairie dirt with her wherever she goes to remind her of what she knew first. She is the author of many well-loved novels and picture books, including Sarah, Plain and Tall, winner of the Newbery Medal; its sequels, Skylark and Caleb's Story; and Three Names, illustrated by Mike Wimmer. She lives in western Massachusetts.

In Her Own Words..."One thing I've learned with age and parenting is that life comes in circles. Recently, I was having a bad time writing. I felt disconnected. I had moved to a new home and didn't feel grounded. The house, the land was unfamiliar to me. There was no garden yet. Why had I sold my old comfortable 1793 home? The one with the snakes in the basement, mice everywhere, no closets. I would miss the cold winter air that came in through the electrical sockets."

"I had to go this day to talk to a fourth-grade class, and I banged around the house, complaining. Hard to believe, since I am so mild mannered and pleasant, isn't it? What did I have to say to them? I thought what I always think when I enter a room of children. What do I know?"

"I plunged down the hillside and into town, where a group of fourth-grade children waited for me in the library, freshly scrubbed, expectant. Should I be surprised that what usually happens did so? We began to talk about place, our living landscapes. And I showed them my little bag of prairie dirt from where I was born. Quite simply, we never got off the subject of place. Should I have been so surprised that these young children were so concerned with place, or with the lack of it, their displacement? Five children were foster children, disconnected from their homes. One little boy's house had burned down, everything gone. 'Photographs, too,' he said sadly. Another told me that he was moving the next day to place he'd never been. I turned and saw the librarian, tears coming down her face."

"'You know,' I said. 'Maybe I should take this bag of prairie dirt and toss it into my new yard. I'll never live on the prairie again. I live here now. The two places could mix together that way!' 'No!' cried a boy from the back. 'Maybe the prairie dirt will blow away!' And then a little girl raised her hand. 'I think you should put that prairie dirt in a glass bowl in your window so that when you write you can see it all the time. So you can always see what you knew first.'"

"When I left the library, I went home to write. What You Know First owes much to the children of the Jackson Street School: the ones who love place and will never leave it, the ones who lost everything and have to begin again. I hope for them life comes in circles, too."

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
2,614 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Whitney
5.0 out of 5 stars "I will come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall."
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2011
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I watched the Hallmark movies adapted from these stories long before I read the books they were inspired from. In fact, it was not until a few years ago I read this series. As an adult, I can tell you how wonderfully moving these stories are and how incredible, and rare, an author Patricia MacLachlan is. Her words are almost magical, and yet, she tells a full, deep story with simple phrases, short sentences, and common words. She paints beautiful pictures and uses prose in a way I have never seen before, nor since.
Her words are like music.
The story premise is attractive in itself. The characters make the story, though. The movies are also wonderful and family friendly. The books almost act as a script in themselves for the movies as much of the dialogue and scenes are taken directly from Patricia MacLachlan's words in the stories. Thankfully, she wrote the scripts for the movies and was able to capture the magic in her books on screen.
Wonderful stories that are not only enjoyable for children, but for adults, too.
12 people found this helpful
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Amy
5.0 out of 5 stars We loved it.
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024
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My 7 year old and I finished it in a day.. it was easy to follow along and quick moving. We are going to watch the movie now!
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R. Day
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2012
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This collection has three books. In the first a man is raising two children after his wife dies. He sends for a mail order bride. He is sensitive and kind and courts her by mail. They get to know each other thru their letters and pictures. When she comes to meet them Sarah is warm and loving, but also independent and self confident. She moves into their lives with the kind of sensitivity they need, appreciating each one for their individuality. They worry that Sarah will not be satisfied with life on the prairie farm. Although she misses her ocean side home she comes to love this family even more.

The second focuses more on the hardships of living out on the prairie, and how the family works together. The third is about the stranger that arrives one day while the husband is away for a few days. Then the surprise when they discover who he is and the stirring of old painful feelings.

I was concerned that my 8 year old son wouldn't appreciate the slow paced, sensitive story about how love grows between Sarah and this family, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much he loved it.
4 people found this helpful
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Danl728
4.0 out of 5 stars Great youth book
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2024
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Easy reading youth book.
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David Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars A Modern Classic--A "Must Read" For All
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2012
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The "Sarah, Plain and Tall Treasury" should be essential reading for all ages. While written at a grade-school level, the vibrant writing of Patricia Maclachlan draws in readers to the world of Jacob Witting, widower with 2 young children; and Sarah Wheaton, an independent middle aged single woman from Maine. One can smell the sea, taste the dust of a hot, Kansas drought, and feel the cold of a long winter through this trilogy of stories. History (a drought which preceded the dust bowl, World War I, the influenza epidemic) is presented in a natural way, so that young people don't even know they are learning. Warm, pure, growing relationships between grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles and children are demonstrated in a viable way. The characters' strengths and weaknesses are shown; but young people are not polluted by evil as they witness human frailty. Love is a pervasive theme; an honest love that chooses to help one another, despite pain and difficulty. In a world where so many children and teenagers are cut off from their working parents, grandparents are displaced, and friendships are based upon movies and fashions, the reality of true relationships provide a pattern of hope. Our church school received a copy of this book for its library -- children of all ages love the Sarah stories. A friend near 60, not much of a reader, fell in love with these stories...she'll share them with her grandchildren. We scatter the Sarah stories along the path of various friends of all ages; we enjoy them so much.
9 people found this helpful
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M. Heiss
5.0 out of 5 stars A Newbery I can agree with
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2010
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Usually I have to pre-read the Newbery award winners before I give them to my kids, because the Newbery people seem to give the award to books that are "edgy" -- broken families, abuse issues, violence, mistreatment of animals, sexual situations...

Seriously, if you try to explain to a librarian that you have reservations about the Newbery books, the librarian will roll his eyes at you, purse his lips, maybe even raise an eyebrow. Who am I, the parent, to impose my tastes on my children's reading selections?

It's to the point where a Newbery award on a book causes my alarm bells to go off.

"Sarah, Plain and Tall" is a good book about a strong family that becomes stronger when the widowed father advertises for a mail-order wife. Seriously -- single women were scarce on the prairie. The book looks lovingly at natural beauty -- the sea versus the prairie -- and it has gentle and patient adult role models. Happy ending, too.

The children's personalities are normal and kind. The little brother is described as "pesky," but in a loving way.

The language is descriptive and the dialog is brief. The whole book is about anticipation and hope.

This book is about as far from recent-Newbery-winner "Despereaux" as any book can be. And that's a GOOD thing.
42 people found this helpful
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Donna F. Wenger
5.0 out of 5 stars Super book for children and grownups
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2021
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I picked this book to read, via FaceTime,to my granddaughters (ages 8 and almost 6). We live a continent apart, and reading is one way to connect.
I picked SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL for several reasons. It reveals life on the plains a century ago. It has a compelling story line—including a mail order bride. The characters are well drawn, and the dialogue natural.
This book was a big hit...we ALL enjoyed it.
9 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Story
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2021
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This book has always been one of my favorites, it's a classic. My daughter needed it for school,it's easy to read and it has pictures. Story of a family trying to survive in Kansas prairie.
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Top reviews from other countries

Bonita
5.0 out of 5 stars It's a lovely book on a Family struggling and getting through on a Farm on the Prairie
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2019
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Saw the film of this book on youtube. Loved it! It's a lovely children's book on how hard it was on the prairie and how some children lost their Mum. Their Father who loved them found a new wife. His Wife had died in Child-birth. This new wife the Children and their Dad got to love very much. She helped them where they struggled with different tasks on the Farm. It really is a good book to read!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read
Reviewed in India on February 24, 2019
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Excellent book for adolescent girls.
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Chiara H.
5.0 out of 5 stars Short simple story about love and taking chances
Reviewed in Italy on January 1, 2016
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What a sweet story about two children who hope and pray that Sarah will stay with them forever and become their new mother. Written in a very simple style, this book is a fast read. The emotions that the children feel are very clear and all of the characters are well-written. Highly recommend for ages 8+.
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Mary Anne Piaget
5.0 out of 5 stars Sarah Plain and Tall
Reviewed in France on January 4, 2013
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It's one of my all time favourite children's books. It's also a book I've used in the EFL classroom. It can be read and then enjoyed in the Hallmark film version. Great acting, great story.
One person found this helpful
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Granny
5.0 out of 5 stars Heartouching reading!
Reviewed in Canada on October 20, 2019
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A beautiful book for 8 to 12 yest old..a true picture of pioneer days, hardships,losses and death with devotion and love making survival of this a joy!
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