Great for ESL students
Added 3/11/2010
I have used this book many times with ESL students of various ages (from 6th graders to adult) and levels. Like our students, Sarah leaves her familiar home behind and tries to fit in and adapt to new people and surroundings. As her neighbor tells her, There is always something to miss, where ever you go.(probably not an exact quote, but close.) Children love it because they see the story through the eyes of the children. Adults love it because there is so much in this little book that they can relate to.
It is also a great way to learn about parts of the United States and how people lived back then. It is not a very long book and has useful vocabulary. Sometimes after we read a chapter in class, we listen to the audio, read by Glenn Close, and if possible we watch the movie which is quite different and good for discussion.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
A tender tale of loss and love
Added 1/24/2010
This is one of the most touching and beautiful children's books I have ever read. It flows like poetry--rhythmic, melodic, yet able to capture profound emotion with just a few well chosen syllables.
The story is ostensibly about a mail-order bride who makes the journey from Maine to the dusty Great Plains in order to raise two motherless children. The children's sole desire is that Sarah be happy with them, and stay as their new mother. While the plot is simple, the range of feeling is not, for MacLachlin explores the mechanisms of human longing in all its forms--longing for comfort, for happiness, for home, and, most illusive of all, for perfection. The children strive, as all children do, for that perfection, hoping that, in the end, they will be rewarded with their heart's desire.
We have, over the past century, lost sight of the open generosity with which human beings can welcome one another into their lives. I hope, for the sake of all our children who are being bombarded with daily doses of TV mayhem, that we can spare a few moments to teach them MacLachlin's gentle lesson in acceptance and love.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Rip-off - This tape shouldn't have been sold.
Added 11/21/2009
This will be my last ever VHS tape purchase on Amazon. This tape shouldn't have been sold because it was distorted and discolored. The tape was repeatedly rewound/ff from beginning to end on several different VCRS and still no luck. The thinking was it might have been a tape tension issue or a tracking issue but after four gyrations with four diffferent VCRs and after messing with tracking settings on all four VCRS no luck.
The entire movie with the exception of the first few minutes we're difficult if not impossible to make out because the top 50% or more of the screen was dis-colored and also completely distorted and stretched; regardless of the VCR it was played in. It's not worth my money trying to return the tape.
I'm disgusted with this purchase and the tape is going in the trash. What a rip-off.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Excellent
Added 6/21/2009
Im in my early 20s and I loved this story as a young child. It took me to another place and another time. This is truly a classic. When I have children of my own one day, I will definitely read this to them.
Sarah, Plain and Tall, what a lovely read.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Teacher's review
Added 4/27/2009
Sarah, Plain and Tall is a wonderful historical fiction book. My students followed along in the book while we listened to the cd. They truly enjoyed the sequence of events and participated in great discussion! Ties nicely to the historical fiction genre. I used the Sarah, Plain and Tall Literature Kit by Classroom Complete Press to base my lessons on. We are looking forward to reading the other books in the series.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Great for ESL students
Added 3/11/2010
I have used this book many times with ESL students of various ages (from 6th graders to adult) and levels. Like our students, Sarah leaves her familiar home behind and tries to fit in and adapt to new people and surroundings. As her neighbor tells her, There is always something to miss, where ever you go.(probably not an exact quote, but close.) Children love it because they see the story through the eyes of the children. Adults love it because there is so much in this little book that they can relate to.
It is also a great way to learn about parts of the United States and how people lived back then. It is not a very long book and has useful vocabulary. Sometimes after we read a chapter in class, we listen to the audio, read by Glenn Close, and if possible we watch the movie which is quite different and good for discussion.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
A tender tale of loss and love
Added 1/24/2010
This is one of the most touching and beautiful children's books I have ever read. It flows like poetry--rhythmic, melodic, yet able to capture profound emotion with just a few well chosen syllables.
The story is ostensibly about a mail-order bride who makes the journey from Maine to the dusty Great Plains in order to raise two motherless children. The children's sole desire is that Sarah be happy with them, and stay as their new mother. While the plot is simple, the range of feeling is not, for MacLachlin explores the mechanisms of human longing in all its forms--longing for comfort, for happiness, for home, and, most illusive of all, for perfection. The children strive, as all children do, for that perfection, hoping that, in the end, they will be rewarded with their heart's desire.
We have, over the past century, lost sight of the open generosity with which human beings can welcome one another into their lives. I hope, for the sake of all our children who are being bombarded with daily doses of TV mayhem, that we can spare a few moments to teach them MacLachlin's gentle lesson in acceptance and love.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Rip-off - This tape shouldn't have been sold.
Added 11/21/2009
This will be my last ever VHS tape purchase on Amazon. This tape shouldn't have been sold because it was distorted and discolored. The tape was repeatedly rewound/ff from beginning to end on several different VCRS and still no luck. The thinking was it might have been a tape tension issue or a tracking issue but after four gyrations with four diffferent VCRs and after messing with tracking settings on all four VCRS no luck.
The entire movie with the exception of the first few minutes we're difficult if not impossible to make out because the top 50% or more of the screen was dis-colored and also completely distorted and stretched; regardless of the VCR it was played in. It's not worth my money trying to return the tape.
I'm disgusted with this purchase and the tape is going in the trash. What a rip-off.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
