Blueberries for Sal

This week one of my favorite books I read was Blueberries for Sal. I did enjoy the story, but the thing that really made me fall in love with this book were the illustrations.
The book tells the story of a little girl named Sal who goes to pick blueberries with her mother on Blueberry Hill. While they were picking the blueberries there was also a little bear cub and her mother picking blueberries on the same hill. Both the little bear cub and the Sal grew too tired to keep up with their mothers and set down to rest and eat blueberries. They lost their mothers and when they got up to find them they both found the wrong mothers, Sal ended up with the mother bear, and the cub ended up with the human mother. The mother bear became scared when she realized that she was in the presence of a human, and the human mother became scared when she realized she was in the presence of a bear. Both mothers ran away and found their own child. 


The illustrations in this book are all in blue ink that looks like blueberry juice. They are really beautiful line drawings that look a little bit like a wood cut. To me the illustrations really transport you to the hot summer day on Blueberry Hill. Even though I am reading it in the middle of winter I can look at these pictures and smell the greenery, hear the buzzing of the insects, feel the hot sun on my skin, and feel the sticky blueberry juice on my fingers. 
While the story seems to be pretty simple and straight forward I do think it is interesting that the children do not feel like they are in danger like the adults do when they realize they are with a bear and a human. The huge bear is afraid of a little human child, and the grown women is fearful of the little bear cub.


I think a perfect way to incorporate Blueberries for Sal into your library programming is to have a summer nature walk, and picnic, or just the picnic depending on the availability of a place for the walk. This may be difficult for libraries in big cities, however there is space that can be found. Maybe it could be hosted at a city park. If need be it could even be in the library, and it could be decorated as if it was an outdoor picnic. The picnic could feature blueberries in all different forms. Blueberry muffins, blueberry jam, fresh blueberries, and whatever else you can think of. The book can be read while everyone is enjoying their blueberry refreshments. 


PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEW FROM COMMONSENSEMEDIA.ORG

This humorous, entertaining book for preschoolers is an easygoing tale with just enough suspense to make it interesting. Robert McCloskey's text and illustrations blend perfectly with the mix of characters to tell a story that tickles the imagination. The full-page illustrations make it easy for children to understand the emotions of the characters.

The idea of a little girl and a bear cub each following the wrong mother appeals to preschoolers' sense of humor. 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.

McCloskey, R. (19761948).Blueberries for Sal . New York: Viking Press.