We are soooo enjoying our current read-aloud series: Patricia MacLachlan's Sarah, Plain and Tall. Ms. Maclachlan wrote five books for this series about rural life on the Plains at the end of the 19th Century.
- Sarah, Plain and Tall tells the story of mail-order bride Sarah's trip from Maine to Kansas to marry widower Jacob and help raise his two children, Anna and Caleb. Narrated by Anna, this is a wonderful story of love and family.
- Skylark tells the story of drought-ridden Kansas and Sarah's trip back to Maine with Anna and Caleb to meet the "aunts". Narrated by Anna, this is a wonderful story of loyalty and staying together through any calamity.
- Caleb's Story tells the story the expansion of the Witting family with the arrival of a long-lost relative. Told through the eyes of Caleb, this is the longest of the books and has the most depth (I think, anyway!).
- More Perfect than the Moon tells the story of a new arrival, "more perfect than the moon" and Cassie's fear of the whole event! Told through the eyes of eight-year-old Cassie, this is a wonderful story about fear (from a child's viewpoint) of adding a baby to a family that is perfectly happy without the "terrible baby".
- Grandfather's Dance tells the story of family reunions and life and death as the Wittings celebrate Anna's wedding and Grandfather's dying. Again, told through Cassie's eyes, this is a beautiful story of life going on, of the importance of family and of the naturalness of death.
These are great stories ... not overly long ... but with a depth and an emotional level that make them classics. We also love the Glenn Close/Christopher Walken movies of the first three books; they are very close to the original and keep the same actors/actresses throughout the years (suitably aged of course).
These books would also make great first chapter books, at least my kids think so!
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