Sarah Plain and Tall

He receives a letter from a Sarah Wheaton of Maine who says she will visit the family for a month to see how things work out

"I will come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall"

Narrated by Anna reminiscing on the eve of her wedding, the story unfolds in a fascinating flashback on that often exciting, sometimes tumultuous month when Sarah and the Wittings came to know one another and learned a few things about themselves as well

The joys and challenges of everyday life are richly depicted in this classic which the New York Times called "an exquisite, sometimes painfully touching tale"

The School Library Journal said the book "is filled with wisdom and gentle humor a tender story about the fragile beginnings of a family relationship on its way to permanence"