''Sarah, Plain and Tall'' is a

children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

written by

Patricia MacLachlan Patricia Marie MacLachlan ( Pritzkau; March 3, 1938 – March 31, 2022) was an American children's writer. She was noted for her novel '' Sarah, Plain and Tall'', which won the 1986 Newbery Medal. Early life MacLachlan was born in Cheyenne, Wyo ...

and the winner of the 1986

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

, the 1986

Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction is an annual American children's book award that recognizes historical fiction. It was established in 1982 by Scott O'Dell, author of ''Island of the Blue Dolphins'' and 25 other children's books, in ho ...

, and the 1986

Golden Kite Award The Golden Kite Awards are given annually by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, an international children's writing organization, to recognize excellence in children’s literature. The award is a golden medallion showing a ...

. It explores themes of loneliness, abandonment, and coping with change. The book was followed by four more books exploring the Witting family after Sarah's arrival: ''

Skylark ''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species are ...

'', ''Caleb's Story'', ''More Perfect Than the Moon'', and ''Grandfather's Dance''.

Plot overview

The story is set in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

during the late 19th century. Jacob Witting, a widowed farmer who is still saddened by the death of his wife during childbirth several years before, finds that the task of taking care of his farm and two children, Anna and Caleb, is too difficult to handle alone. He writes an ad in the newspaper for a

mail-order bride A mail-order bride is a woman who lists herself in catalogs and is selected by a man for marriage. In the twentieth century, the trend was primarily towards women living in developing countries seeking men in more developed nations. The majority ...

. Sarah Wheaton, from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, answers his ad and travels out to become his wife. While Sarah is initially apprehensive about Anna as she still has memories of her late mother, Caleb is excited and deeply hopes that Sarah will stay. When she departs conditionally for one month, Sarah notices that Anna is lonely and misses the sea. Sarah is stubborn and persistent, and she gradually wins over Jacob with her insistence on learning and helping out with farm tasks. The Wittings become attached to Sarah, though Caleb constantly worries that their home is not enough for her and that she misses the sea. When Sarah goes to town by wagon on her own, Anna tries to reassure Caleb that Sarah will return, while secretly fearing that she will not. They are overjoyed when Sarah returns by nightfall. Admitting that she misses the sea, Sarah says that she would miss them more if she left. Anna reveals that Jacob and Sarah married soon afterward.

Adaptations

Film adaptations

''Sarah, Plain and Tall'' was adapted into a

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

, ''

Sarah, Plain and Tall ''Sarah, Plain and Tall'' is a children's book written by Patricia MacLachlan and the winner of the 1986 Newbery Medal, the 1986 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and the 1986 Golden Kite Award. It explores themes of loneliness, abando ...

''. The screenplay was written by MacLachlan, and it starred

Glenn Close Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, Close has garnered numerous accolades, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards ...

and

Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Prolific in film, television and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Awar ...

. The next two books in the series—''Skylark'' and ''Caleb's Story''—were the basis for two more

s—''

''; and '' Sarah, Plain and Tall: Winter's End''. MacLachlan wrote the screenplays, and the same actors played the roles of Sarah, Jacob, Anna, and Caleb.

Stage adaptation

The story was made into a one-act children's musical and produced by

TheatreWorksUSA TheatreWorksUSA is a professional, not-for-profit theatre for young and family audiences founded in 1961. The company is based out of New York City, but has touring productions that run through forty-nine states as well as parts of Canada. Pl ...

. The score is by Laurence O'Keefe and

Nell Benjamin Nell Benjamin is a lyricist, writer, and composer noted for her work in musical theatre. With her husband and frequent collaborator Laurence O'Keefe, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for writing ''Legally Blonde'' in 2011. And in 2007, she was ...

. The musical ran

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

at the

Lucille Lortel Theatre The Lucille Lortel Theatre is an off-Broadway playhouse at 121 Christopher Street in Manhattan's West Village. It was built in 1926 as a 590-seat movie theater called the New Hudson, later known as Hudson Playhouse. The interior is largely unch ...

during summer 2002 with a cast that included

Becca Ayers Becca is a feminine given name, often a short form of Rebecca; however, it is also a name in its own right. People In arts and media Music * Becca (Singer, Songwriter), (Born 1994), Venezuelan Urban Singer * Beca (musician), American singer *Be ...

as Sarah and

John Lloyd Young John Lloyd Mills Young (born July 4, 1975) is an American actor and singer. In 2006, he won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his role as Frankie Valli in Broadway's ''Jersey Boys''. He is the only American actor to date to ...

as Caleb. It was brought back to New York in 2004, with a sold-out three-week run off-Broadway. It also ran at the O’Neill Theater Center in

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

, Connecticut in August 2003, with direction by Joe Calarco and featuring

Kaitlin Hopkins Kaitlin Persson Hopkins (born February 1, 1964) is an American actress and singer, the daughter of actress Shirley Knight and stage producer/director Gene Persson. Biography Hopkins was born in New York City to actress Shirley Knight and actor ...

.Hernandez, Erni
"New Duncan Sheik and Laurence O'Keefe Musicals Play at CT's O’Neill Center, Aug. 2-10"
playbill.com, August 2, 2003

References

{{Newbery Medal Newbery Medal–winning works Golden Kite Award-winning works 1985 American novels American children's novels Harper & Row books Children's historical novels Novels set in the 19th century American novels adapted into films 1985 children's books American novels adapted into plays