Sarah, Plain and Tall

Sarah, Plain and Tall is a Newberry Medal winning book published in 1985 by author Patricia MacLachlan. The main plot of the book takes place in the United States Midwest, particularly the states of Kansas and Maine. The book is a very popular choice for many middle and high schools’ reading lists. The time period is the late 19th century, and the main character, Sarah Wheaton, is a respondent to an ad put in the local paper by a farmer who recently lost his wife and wanted to find a new one. He is also looking for someone who can serve as a mother to his two young children. The farmer’s name is Jacob Witting and he also has two children named Anna and Caleb. Initially, Sarah begins to write Jacob letters and they form a nice relationship through postal mail. Sarah lives in the state of Maine when they begin their letter writing, while Jacob and his family live in Kansas.

Over time, Sarah opens up to Jacob and describes the way she looks as both plain and tall. While she contemplates moving to the Midwest, she thinks about how different the landscape must look from Maine. Her imagination begins to wander as she thinks about moving all the way across the country and starting a new life. Jacob has been mourning the loss of his wife, who died the day after little Caleb was born. He has become lonely, and realizes that the children need a mother in the home. As time passes, he decides to ask Sarah to move to his home in Kansas. Much of the book consists of the letters and gifts exchanged between Sarah and the Witting family. It is a good character study and offers insight into how different people respond to and feel about different areas of the country.

There was a popular TV movie adaptation of the book that was on air in 1991. It starred famous actor Christopher Walken as Jacob Witting, and actress Glenn Close as Sarah Wheaton. It did so well that is was even nominated for a Golden Globe award. Because of its success, there were three series movies made for TV, including the two other books in the MacLachlan trio, Skylark, and Winter’s End. All of them starred Christopher Walken and Glenn Close. The films aired on the Hallmark Channel, and are some of the most popular and widely loved of all of the channel’s made for television movies and mini series. Sarah, Plain and Tall has also been adapted for a Broadway play and musical, which has had quite a warm welcome from fans of the book and films. The book has been a staple for classroom reading for many years now, and the theme is something that will always remain a constant for any child who has lost a parent, and any parent who has lost a spouse. It teaches people about love, understanding, and opening up our hearts to new possibilities in life.