Welcome to Litsy!

This was a beautiful reminder that the power of a story is not dependent upon length. In just over 50 pages you're right there with two motherless children feeling their loneliness and desperation for someone to complete their family. We meet Sarah & with her strength and her memories of the Maine sea we fall in love with her.

BOTTOM LINE: Just a beautiful story, crafted to give a glimpse into history while delivering an emotional punch.

I have loved this book since I was little. It was the first time I was introduced to the name Caleb-and I‘m pregnant with my very own Caleb now ♥️

Listened to this sweet little read on my way home from work. I remember the tv movie & Glenn Close did a wonderful job narrating the book. Life on the plains must have been really difficult and I recall seeing an exhibit at Jamestown about how women were just brought in as wives. Sarah finds herself in a position to help out and potentially marry Anna & Caleb's father after their mother passed after giving birth. 💗

#Movie2BookRecs #glennclose 24. These were my favorite books and movies when I was young. I don‘t know how they hold up, but I just don‘t see myself rereading or rewatching because I choose to keep it in my mind the way it was.

There are always things to miss, no matter where you are.

Curled up with this as the storm rolls in.

Hung out with a friend last night who sent me home with this, one of her favorite childhood books. We swap horror novels regularly, but I also love getting glimpses of this other side, too.

The new episode of my podcast about Sarah, Plain and Tall takes us from a general conversation about childhood reading (Accelerated Reader, anyone?) to an examination of beautiful writing to a deep dive into white supremacy and historical revisionism to a brief history lesson about marriage habits of Americans on the prairie to a conversation about power and agency for women. Author Olivia Cole joins me! Link to listen in bio.

Day 20 #oppositeday Prompt: Short

I‘ve had this on my tbr forever. Finally listened to audio. A quiet, sweet book. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

This book is such a great read for older elementary kids! It is a historical fiction book and a Newberry winner novel! It really gives a great story of a family dynamic and is filled with such wisdom. Such a sweet and tear jerking tale for kids. I would use an independent reading strategy because I think it would be great for students to read on their own and really dive into!

I picked this book for a book challenge that needed a book that was published the year I was born. It melted my heart. It was so sweet and innocent.

Expand Your Horizons 2020: Reread a book you read as a child.

I shared Sarah, Plain and Tall with my daughter. I enjoyed memories of reading it around her age and continuing on with the rest of the series.

"I didn't like it because of the tornadoes and also because Caleb's mother died right after Caleb was born. But I did like that they all worked together." -Cadee, age 7

I love this screen adaption, and of the second book too. 1910 rural Kansas farm, mail order bride from seaside Maine. What could go wrong?

Loved this book as a kid and loved sharing this quiet read with my son. We‘ve been reading a lot of Lemony Snicket and this was a nice change of pace. Caleb and Anna‘s mother has died and their dad writes a letter seeking a possible bride. Sarah arrives from Maine very much her own person and does not change to fit in, but finds her own way to belong. Strong female character. #bbrc #mg #fewerthan150pages

Sarah responds to a widower‘s ad for a wife, describing herself as “plain and tall.” Jacob‘s children desire for Sarah to stay and be their mother, but Sarah misses her life back home. Watch new readers get lost in Patricia MacLachlan‘s classic HF novel, which earned her a Newbery Medal. #ucflae3414fl19

Historical Fiction Newbery Award winner Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan is a great SR. It's about a lady who comes to live with a family after answering an ad about someone looking for a wife. She soon realized that where she was is nothing like Maine where she was from but made it work because she loved the family. #UCFLAE3414F19

“There is always something to miss, no matter where you are.”

I think the time period this book is in is interesting, so I‘m sure kids would still think that today as well. This is a great way to introduce them to that time period.

It shows a different way of life and it‘s a very interesting concept to most young kids. The language is of that time period, which is important to explain to children. It also has an interesting plot.

You dont sing anymore

This book was boring to me and I didn't really like the story line.

Traditional literature and was written in 1985. The setting of this book in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Jacob lost his wife and only has his children and decides to put an ad in the paper for a new wife. Sarah who responds to the ad talks to the children and Jacob all the time. At the end of the book, Sarah decides to live with Jacob and the children.

I‘d never read this as a child.

A sweet little old fashioned kind of book. Great for kids or adults who need a palate cleanser. Very fast read.

Finished reading this gem with the kiddos last night. Their only complaint? "I want to know more!!!"

David rating - 4/5
Sophia rating - 4.5/5

Sarah has left the coast of Maine to move to prairies of the Midwest. She misses the sea, and has brought some shells to remind her of home. That image touched my heart. A short children‘s chapter book that is filled with love. Perfect for encouraging discussions of the loss of a parent, step parents, or moving to a new home.

I am tutoring an ESL student, and I suggested to her that an audio book might be a good idea to help with her learning. This is the book she chose, so I checked it out of the library today too! Starting our own Book Club!

Simple and sweet. I had the added benefit of seeing the movie series in my mind‘s eye while reading. I would say the movies are better for adults than the books because they add more complexity to the characters. Also, you miss the gorgeous scenery.

“Outside, the prairie reached out and touched the places where the sky came down.”

1. Reading 📖, cleaning and laundry and going to Black Panther 🎬
2. Almost 5‘10, but I am shrinking as I get older 😟
3. Umm, it is my hometown. But this stretch has only been for a little over 3 years.
4. The Power (book) and The Heart‘s Invisible Furies (audiobook)
5. 🤳 ✅💁🏻‍♀️
#friyayintro @jesshowbooks

Today's author spotlight: Patricia "Patty" MacLachlan! The 79-year-old was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1938. She graduated from the University of Connecticut. She won the 1986 Newbery Medal for the tagged book, which was adapted as a TV movie starring Glenn Close and Christopher Walken. She's a board member of the National Children's Book and Literary Alliance, a non-profit promoting literacy and libraries. #AuthorPotpourri #TheMoreYouKnow

The making of something #unique. This quote is from Patricia MacLachlan‘s Newbery Medal Acceptance Speech printed at the back of the edition of Sarah, Plain and Tall I read.

#QuotsyNov17 Day 24

From the library's bag of books for $1.00
Oldies that I couldn't resist.

I only read this for the first time last week, but I picked it up to re-read before starting the sequels. (It helps that it's short!) A simple and heartfelt story I'm glad to finally have read -- in large part due to @smilingshelves Newbery Challenge! #24in48

Did you know there are four sequels to the incrediblely wonderful #childrenslit classic that is Sarah, Plain and Tall? Because I did not until very recently & I am thrilled that my local library had all four of them for me to borrow. 😊 Will report back on how they are; hopefully they will measure up to the standard set by the original. #libraryhaul #sundaymorningplans #planningahead #idreadthemnowbutihavetogogetmyhairdoneforaneventtonight #boo

Happy birthday to Patricia MacLachlan, who turns 79 years old today! Who else loved Sarah, Plain and Tall as a kid? It was one of @BookishFeminist's favorite books growing up. MacLachlan writes about family, belonging, and sense of place. 🌾

#authorbirthdays #bookishbirthdays

It takes a really special book for me to #reread, and this book is one of them. Reading it is like visiting an old friend from my childhood. It's a great movie, too! #booktober

So, I'm sitting in the kids' section of a bookstore for my Book Group last night, and over the head of one of the participants, I think I see a book on the shelf entitled "Sarah Palin is Tall," and I think, "I guess she is. . ., but what an odd topic for a children's book!"

Maybe it's time to go see the eye doctor . . .