Sarah, Plain and Tall
On a late-nineteenth-century prairie farm, Anna and Caleb wait to learn whether Sarah, visiting from Maine after answering their father's advertisement, will choose to stay. Spare narration holds grief, hope and homesickness together.
- First published
- 1985
- Reading stage
- For older children
Reading this with your child
Center Anna's uncertainty
Anna watches Sarah for signs of attachment while remembering her mother. Mark what Anna knows, what she fears and what adults decide beyond her control.
Use sea and prairie as emotional places
Sarah misses Maine's coast while the children want her to love the plains. Compare the landscapes through sound, color and weather instead of reducing homesickness to ingratitude.
Contextualize the family arrangement
Papa advertises for a wife and Sarah travels to consider the household, reflecting a specific historical setting. Discuss her ability to choose alongside the children's strong desire that she remain.
Compare before choosing: Both address attachment and loss; Sarah develops a possible new family through place and uncertainty, while Love You Forever uses a repeated song across a whole lifespan. View the comparison title →
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