1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
McCloskey, Robert. 1948. BLUEBERRIES FOR SAL. New York, NY: Viking Juvenile. ISBN 0670175919
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Little Sal goes blueberry picking with her mother and finds more than berries. Her curiosity may get her in trouble!
3. IMPRESSIONS
I had a strong impulse to go back in time when I read this book. McCloskey captures a simpler time when parents and children went berry picking and lived off the land. The drawings were simple, with no color, yet were great companions for the words.
When Sal meets up with a bear, I had no feeling of fear or concern; I simply enjoyed the switching between parent and child and the simliaries of a close connection. This book may be over sixty years old since first publishing, but it sure didn't feel that way. I was swept up in the simplicity and the scope of the landscape.
This is a timeless tale that should never be far from a child's hands.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
* Starred review in COMMON SENSE MEDIA: "But beyond the entertainment value, the story provides some lessons for children. Subtly showing the kinship of humans and animals, McCloskey closely parallels the stories of Little Bear and Sal. This is an excellent read-aloud."
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/Blueberries-for-Sal.html
* Starred review in ALBRIS: "An appreciation of the natural world, as well as a look at the similarities that exist between these two very different families, BLUEBERRIES FOR SAL features charming blue-and-white drawings and is a 1949 Caldecott Honor Book. Sal and her mother are based on author/illustrator Robert McCloskey's own wife and daughter, and the character of Sal also appears in the book ONE MORNING IN MAINE."
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