Children's Book Classics – Sarah, Plain and Tall

Patricia MacLachlan’s 1985 Novel is Still a Staple: Here's Why

Sep 8, 2009

Patricia MacLachlan uses the seasons of the natural world to convey unchanging childhood experience in the best book ever written about a mail-order bride.

This children's classic draws upon the storms, summers, and cycles of life on a prairie farm to illuminate the struggles and triumphs of characters; The result is a deeply affecting story that rests firmly among the very best of children's literature.

The story starts in spring, when Jacob’s mail order bride, Sarah, is supposed to arrive from Maine to help with his farm and two motherless children, Caleb and Anna. Jacob’s farm is on the plains in the Midwest, and Sarah must leave her home in Maine to live there. The story deals with Sarah’s adjustment to the landscape of the plains from the coastal environment she is used to, and at the same time deals with her adjustment to family life as a wife and surrogate mother, from a life with her brother and aunts by the sea.

Patricia MacLachlan’s Use of Nature

The story couples simple language with strong visuals to explain the emotions of the scenes. On the first page, Caleb asks his older sister Anna to tell the story of his birth, which is the only story where his mother and he were both present (she died the day after he was born). Anna tells Caleb that before he was born, both of their parents sang every day. “Well, Papa doesn’t sing anymore,” said Caleb very softly. A log broke apart and crackled in the fireplace.”

The log crackles for Caleb, to illustrate his sadness. On page five, Anna says, “ I looked at the long dirt road that crawled across the plains, remembering the morning that mamma had died, cruel and sunny.” Here, the long dirt road recalls mamma’s burial, and the cruel sun refers to the indifference of nature to human sorrow. This last reference helps readers understand the world this family lives in, the harsh and brutal seasons that direct their lives as farmers. Examples like this run throughout the book, creating a rich, round world for the characters.

The Evolving Story

As the story goes on, we meet Sarah and watch her interactions with Caleb, Anna, and Jacob. We begin to hope with the children that Sarah will stay, and through the eyes of Anna, our observant narrator, we watch for signs of loneliness or pleasure from Sarah. The children mostly listen for verbal clues (at one point, a reference by Sarah to next winter indicates to the kids that she will stay) but readers also find clues in action, and in descriptions of nature.

Clues in Nature

On page 27, Sarah tells the children that at home in Maine she touched a seal. “I wish I could touch a seal right now,” said Caleb, his voice soft in the night.“So do I, said Sarah. She sighed, then she began to sing the summer song again. Far off in the field, a meadowlark sang, too.” This moment shows us Sarah’s longing—and while the remark from Caleb and the meadowlark singing in the distance underscore Sarah’s feelings, they also give a sense of joining together with her new surroundings. Sarah will not come to forget her home, but empathy and support in her new one will lead to her eventual decision to stay.

A Classic Children’s Book

This book never gets tired, because it is based on the unchanging experiences of childhood and the unyielding power of nature in our lives. MacLachlan’s writing offers a valuable lesson to writers on how to enhance the emotional landscape in a story through the sights, sounds, smells, and feels of the world outside.

The copyright of the article Children's Book Classics – Sarah, Plain and Tall in Children’s Books is owned by Eva Gordon. Permission to republish Children's Book Classics – Sarah, Plain and Tall in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.