DEAR SARAH

by Elisabeth Borchers ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 6, 1981

An archly whimsical European tone marks these eight daily letters to Sarah from her Papa, who is on a business trip. Each letter comes from a different city--Papa spends Sunday in Amsterdam, Monday in Frankfurt, and so on through Copenhagen, Milan, Zurich, London, and Vienna to the next Sunday in Paris--and each city inspires from Papa a dreamlike little story, poem, or other fancy. The first story deals with a king with a golden key in his back (Papa finds him on a ship with a key in its smokestack) and his selection of a queen who is similarly endowed. Others deal with roller-skating elephants, a lonely snowman and snow ghost who become friends, and a bored mouse king who is turned into a crocodile. Schlote makes Sarah's Papa a white-haired little man in a cap and mustache, more like a grandfather than a father. Affecting a childlike but artful manner, Schlote slyly amuses his audience with odd, clever little touches that suit the tone of the text. A bit twee--but you might consider it as an antidote to our flat, developmental fare.

Pub Date: April 6, 1981

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Greenwillow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1981

Categories: CHILDREN'S