Blueberries for Sal
Blueberries for Sal - Front Cover
Blueberries for Sal, written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey is a classic. Written in 1948, it is a 1949 Caldecott Honor Book. Just a bit of info: the Caldecott Medal is awarded to the illustrator of the “most distinguished American Picture Book for Children” (American Library Association). The first medal was awarded in 1938! McCloskey has received the Honor book three times and was the Medal winner twice. Amazing!
As you read aloud Blueberries for Sal you will find so much heart. One of the reasons for this is that Sal and her mother are modeled after McCloskey’s wife, Peggy, and daughter, Sally. This is a really sweet book. If you’ve read any other books by McCloskey you’ll know that his writing style is classic, simple, and a realistic glance at a moment in somebody’s life.
“One day, Little Sal went with her mother to Blueberry Hill to pick blueberries.”
And there you go. That’s the moment we get to see and it’s not a mystery, shiny, or even seems very extraordinary, but keep reading.
Mother and Sal are picking blueberries to jar up and save for winter. I often will buy a giant thing of strawberries from the farmers market to freeze so that we can have a taste of summer during our winter months. As they pick, Sal decides eating the berries is so much better than hearing them fall into her tin bucket. Mother picks and fills her bucket. Sal also decides she’s going to gobble up a few blueberries from Mother’s tin. Mother explains the berries are for winter and for Sal to go pick her own blueberries. As Mother picks, Sal sits down in the middle of the bushes (her feet are tired) and snacks on all the berries surrounding her.
Meanwhile, a mother bear and her cub are doing the same thing!
“The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.”
In this case, blueberries are provided for both Mother, Sal, Little Bear, and his mother. Only, Little Bear and his mother are not picking to wait for winter, they are gorging in order to prepare for their long winter’s nap. However, Little Bear is a bit like Sal and he can’t seem to keep his focus on what his job - to eat! He stops now and again to snack, runs after his mother, and, eventually, and he sits himself down (his feet are tired) amongst a clump of blueberry bushes.
Oh, little ones!
Both Sal and Little Bear eat their fill and decide it’s time to find their mothers. Here’s the mix-up - Sal finds mother bear and Little Bear finds Sal’s mother! They follow their “new” mother for a bit, by and by the mothers turn around to find they’ve lost their own. What is cute is that the young ones aren’t scared. It’s the mothers who are scared and slowly back away.
In the end, the mothers find their own child. The bears are full and ready for the winter. Mother and Sal fill up four buckets of blueberries and are ready to can for the winter.
The illustrations are done with a blue pen ink, which gives them incredible detail. It’s very realistic, but the bears aren’t drawn without personality. They are definitely true-to-life bears, but with friendly expressions. There’s not a time when you think Mother or Sal will be swiped or mauled, I promise. As with most picture books written prior to the 21st century, the word count is lengthy (which I love!) so take your time. Maybe read it aloud for two nights in a row rather than just getting it done in one sitting. It’s a glance into Sal’s day. Savor it for as long as you can.
P.S. Don’t forget to layout the book so you can see the back and front cover together and you’ll see Little Bear and Sal both looking very coy as they munch on the sweet berries.
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