Sara, Plain
and Tall
By Ashley, Cherise,
and Tobias
Chapter Summaries
1
4
7
Questions
2
5
8
3
6
9
Vocabulary
Vocabulary Work
1
4
7
Questions
2
5
8
3
6
9
Summaries
Chapter Questions
1
4
7
Vocabulary
2
5
8
3
6
9
Summaries
Chapter One
Caleb is talking to Anna about their
mom. Caleb likes to hear stories about her.
She died the day after Caleb was born.
Papa talks to the children about Sarah
coming to live with them. Sarah wrote to
them about coming to live with them.
Chapter Two
The chapter takes place in the winter.
Anna, Caleb, and Papa got their letters, Anna’s
letter came first. We learned that Sarah can
braid hair and that she has a pet cat named Seal
because he is gray like the seals that live in the
sea.
Chapter Three
Papa went to get Sarah. Caleb and
Anna were worried that Sarah wouldn’t like
then when she got there. Sarah arrived at the
house. She is already feeling lonely because
she misses the sea.
Chapter Four
Sarah had a collection of shells and if you put
the shell to your ear, you can hear the sea.
Caleb was the only one who talked to Sarah
from dawn till night.
Sarah and Caleb picked flowers- paintbrush,
clover, and prairie violets.
Sarah told Caleb about the Wolly ragwort
that grows by the sea. He made a song
about it.
Sarah taught them a song called “Summer Is
Icumen In”.
Chapter Five
Anna and Caleb took Sarah to see the sheep. She
found a dead lamb and was very sad. Papa went with a
shovel to bury it.
Anna, Caleb, Papa, and Sarah talked about their first
words. Sarah’s was “dune”, Caleb’s was “windmill”,
and Anna’s was “flower” (Tobias’ first word was
“Mommy”).
Sarah missed the dunes home in Maine, and Papa
wanted to make her feel better so he made one out of
hay for her. They all slid down.Chapter Work
Chapter Six
Caleb and Anna were telling Sarah
about the winter time and how they got
to school. They talked about how they
built snowmen when they had snow
days.
Sarah took the children to learn
how to swim in the cow pond.
Chapter Seven
Matthew and Maggie, the neighbors
came to visit. Maggie brought chickens
for Sarah, and she also brought her
flowers. Maggie and Sarah planted the
flowers in a new garden. Sarah and
Maggie talked about how they missed
the sea and the hills. Sarah decided
she must learn how to drive the wagon.
Chapter Eight
Sarah and Papa were working on fixing the
roof but then a storm came in. Sarah,
Papa, Lily, and Caleb all gathered hay to
sleep on, and brought all the animals
inside. They waited in the barn until
morning. When they woke up they saw
hail covering the ground.
Chapter Nine
After the storm, Papa taught Sarah how to
drive the wagon and ride a horse. Sarah then
took the wagon into town to get candles and
colored pencils that were the colors of the sea.
Lily and Caleb felt very sad when Sarah was
gone, but they were relieved when she came
home to them. At the end of the book, it told
how Papa and Sarah decided that they were
going to get married. Papa said that when he
is asked whether or not he will marry Lily at the
wedding, he will say “Ayuh!”
Vocabulary – Ch.1
• Flounder: A type of fish
• Received: When you get something from
someone, you receive it (“I received a new
toy”)
• Else: Otherwise, instead of
• Envelope: A pocket for a letter
Vocabulary – Ch. 2
• Enclosing: To close in
• Bonnet: A cloth or straw hat tied under the
chin and worn by women and children
• Greetings
• Envelope
• Flounder
Vocabulary – Ch. 3
• Suspenders
• Climbed
• Windbreak
Vocabulary – Ch. 4
•
•
•
•
•
•
Paddock
Ceiling
Brides
Prairie
Ayuh
Echoed
Vocabulary – Ch. 5
•
•
•
•
Coarse
Exclaimed
Sneezed
Formed
Vocabulary – Ch. 6
• Reins
• Chanted
• Tumbleweed
Vocabulary – Ch. 7
• Dandelion- a common weed with yellow flowers.
The dandelion grew in our yard.
• Neighbor- one who lives near another. My
neighbor lives in a brown house.
• Whickering- to whinny or neigh. The black horse
was whickering to the horses in the other field.
• Dahlias- a perennial plant with large showy
flowers. Our dahlias were planted next to the
house.
• Nasturtiums
Vocabulary – Ch. 8
• Sly- clever and deceiving, calculating. The sly fox walked toward
the chicken coop.
• Weary- Tired, fatigued, physically or mentally exhausted. The
weary man was walking slowly.
• Squall- A sudden violent wind that usually brings rain, snow, or
sleet with it. A squall blew into the city of Moscow.
• Pungent- Powerful or strong odor or flavor. The pungent smell of
burnt popcorn came from the kitchen.
• Bleating- the crying of a goat, sheep, or calf.The calf was bleating
because it was hungry.
Vocabulary – Ch. 9
•
•
•
•
Hailstones
Armful
Damaged
Hitched
Questions – Ch. 1
• Why did Caleb want to hear the story
about his mom and what she looked like?
• How did the mom die?
• What was Papa looking for in his letter to
the town?
Answer
Questions – Ch. 2
• What are Sarah’s favorite colors?
• What does Sarah want Papa to tell the
children she can do?
• What kind of book did Sarah send?
Answer
Questions – Ch. 3
• What did Sarah say rolled like the sea?
• What did Sarah give to Anna?
• What did Sarah give to Caleb?
Answer
Questions – Ch. 4
• Who did Lottie and Nick like to sleep with,
and why?
• Why does Caleb get excited when he
hears Sarah say the word “later”?
• Why does Sarah talk differently?
Answer
Questions – Ch. 5
• What did Sarah miss and why?
• Why did Papa bury the lamb?
Answer
Questions – Ch. 6
• Who didn’t know how to swim?
• How did Sarah react when she found out
that Caleb couldn’t swim?
Answer
Questions – Ch. 7
•Why was Sarah sad about her house?
•Why was Matthew glad that Sarah moved
in?
•Why did Sarah not need to drive wagons
back home in Maine?
Answer
Questions – Ch. 8
•
•
Why were Lily and Caleb worried when
Sarah wanted to drive to town alone?
What did Sarah run back out into the
storm to get?
Answer
Questions – Ch. 9
• Why did Sarah take the apples into the
barn?
• Why did the dogs go running down the
road barking?
• Why did Caleb cry harder when Sarah
returned?
Answer
Answers – Ch. 1
• Caleb wanted to learn more about their
mother.
• The children’s mother died the day after
Caleb was born.
• Someone to help take care of his family
and it was Sarah.
Answers – Ch. 2
• Blue, gray, and green
• She can sing
• A book about seabirds
Answers – Ch. 3
• The grassy hills
• A stone
• A seashell
Answers – Ch. 4
• Sarah, because they loved her first.
• Because it meant she would stay
• Because she’s from a different part of the
country (Maine)
Answers – Ch. 5
• The sea, her brother, and the dunes
because she was homesick for Maine.
• Because Sarah was upset it died, and she
didn’t want anyone to come near it. She
was afraid the birds would eat it.
Answers – Ch. 6
• Caleb
• She was surprised. She wanted him to
learn.
Answers – Ch. 7
• Because her brother was getting married
and him and his wife were taking over the
house and moving in.
• Because now Maggie has a new friend.
She missed her old friends.
• Because she could walk to town in Maine.
Answers – Ch. 8
• Because they were worried that Sarah
might leave them and go back home to
William.
• Her chickens
Answers – Ch. 9
• To feed Ol’ Bess and Jack
• Because they heard Sarah returning to the
house in the wagon
• He said it was because Seal missed
Sarah, but really he was just so happy to
see her again and know that she wasn’t
really leaving them