Sarah, Plain and Tall

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. She died after giving birth to Caleb. (Chapter 1)

2. He has placed an advertisement in the newspaper for a new wife. (Chapter 1)

3. Matthew’s wife from Tennessee (Chapter 1)

4. William (Chapter 1)

5. Her house is near the sea and is tall with gray shingles. (Chapter 2)

6. A sea stone and snail (Chapter 3)

Short Answer

1. Anna’s love for her brother is complicated because his birth caused her mother’s death. She has buried her grief to raise Caleb in the absence of a mother. (Chapter 1)

2. Jacob is a hard-working man and a caring father. However, he is lonely and needs help raising his children, so he posts the advertisement in hopes of finding a new partner. (Chapter 1)

3. Sarah Wheaton is an independent, confident woman who is open to leaving her home and seeking adventure in a new life. She is kind to the children and patiently answers all their questions about herself and her life in Maine. (Chapters 2-3)

Chapters 4-6

Reading Check

1. She keeps them on her windowsill and teaches the children how to hear the ocean in them. (Chapter 4)

2. Collecting flowers to dry for winter (Chapter 4)

3. It means “yes” in Maine. (Chapter 4)

4. Scatters them for the birds to use in their nests (Chapter 4)

5. The sheep because she loves to touch their wooly coat (Chapter 5)

6. Charcoal drawings (Chapter 5)

7. He uses a haystack covered with a tarp. (Chapter 5)

8. How to float and swim (Chapter 6)

Short Answer

1. Sarah bonds with the animals and takes over the cooking duties, which indicate her emotional and material role in the family, respectively. (Chapter 4)

2. The children bond with Sarah by picking flowers to dry for the winter, which Caleb sees as a sign that she will choose to stay. Sarah also cuts Caleb’s hair and braids Anna’s with a ribbon. (Chapters 4-5)

3. Sarah loves the plants and animals of the prairie. She begins to see the beauty in the flat land. (Chapter 6)

Chapters 7-9

Reading Check

1. Chickens, flowers (Chapter 7)

2. To plant a garden and learn to drive the wagon (Chapter 7)

3. To ride a horse and drive the wagon (Chapter 8)

4. The family shelters in the barn with all the animals, and a hailstorm damages the crops. (Chapter 8)

5. Maine (Chapter 9)

6. Candles, flower seeds, pencils the colors of the sea (Chapter 9)

7. Jacob and Sarah will marry. (Chapter 9)

Short Answer

1. Maggie empathizes with Sarah because she also left her home to come to the prairie. She comforts Sarah in her homesickness and encourages her to have hope for the future. (Chapter 7)

2. Jacob gives Sarah roses, and he helps her collect her treasured items to save from the storm. They also work together to repair the roof, and he agrees to teach her to drive and ride. (Chapter 8)

3. Sarah wears overalls and wants to help repair the roof. She demands to learn to drive the wagon and ride the horse so she can visit Maggie. (Chapter 8)