Sarah, Plain and Tall
Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Published April, 1985
Page Count: 112
Read this out loud to my girls. We read one to two chapters a night and finished it pretty quickly.
Jacob and his children Anna and Caleb have been living alone for about five years. Jacob realizes his children need a mother in their lives and he puts an add for one in the paper. Yeah, it’s like 1910. Sarah, who is (you guessed it) plain and tall, answers the add. The book is short chapters about Sarah building relationships with the children, experiencing farm life, and eventually helping the family grieve the loss of their mother.
Reading Audience:
This could easily be read by a child that is getting in to short chapter books. It has nine chapters and they are all very short.
Stuff to be aware of:
This book was made into a Hallmark family movie so there really isn’t anything bad in it. The author does spend some showing us how the children and their papa are grieving the loss of their mother, but nothing intense. One chapter has a scary storm.
Overall:
This was a fun, simple read. My wife grew up watching the movie so we also watched it. It has a Little House on the Prairie feel. It’s a good discussion starter if you want to discuss the loss of a loved one with your children or how no one can replace a mother or father, even if the living parent marries again. I’m glad we read it.
This website receives compensation through the use of Amazon Affiliate links. If you would like to purchase this book, use this Amazon link by clicking the picture below and the commission will go to help keep the website running.
Clicking on this image will lead you to Amazon.