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    Blueberries for Sal
    Blueberries for Sal
    Blueberries for Sal
    Audiobook8 minutes

    Blueberries for Sal

    Written by Robert McCloskey

    Narrated by Owen Jordan

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A little girl and a little bear on a blueberry picking trip get all mixed up with each other's mothers on a lovely hillside in Maine.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWeston Woods
    Release dateJan 1, 1967
    ISBN9780545815376
    Blueberries for Sal

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    Reviews for Blueberries for Sal

    4.5/5

    160 ratings69 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Blueberries for SalThis is the story of a little girl that goes blueberry picking with her mother. She is helping her pick blueberries but she is more concerned with eating them then she is with keeping them so her mother can make things with them. At the same time a mother bear was picking blueberries with her cub too stock up for the winter. The cub was doing the same thing as Sal and eating the blueberries faster than he was picking them. The cub and Sal did not follow their mothers. They just wondering off eating there merry way around the mountain. Eventually Sal and the cub end up all mixed up and with the wrong mothers and they set out to get with the right ones again. Sal is a REAL little girl, she is a bit scruffy from play and picking berries and I love that as it seem natural to her. The author uses onomonpia to give the reader a sense of what is happening at the berries fall into the bucket, that is the ones that Sal doesn't eat first.This was one of my favorite books growing up, and oddly enough, it was also one of my husband's favorite books growing up. The pictures are absolutely wonderful the bears, mother and child so perfectly portrayed. there is a tenderness and love between mother and daughter that seems to be so lacking in our present times and I love how this book captures that tenderness. I miss picking blueberries/cranberries/raspberries in Alaska with my mom. And my husband misses picking berries with his mom. So the story strikes a chord. We take our girls here in Oklahoma to pick blackberries and wild plumbs. The story it the perfect example of a realistic situation. I have several books for children about berry picking and this is one of my favorites.Some math extension activities (grades K-2) in the classroom include a felt numeral, pail and felt berries on a felt board return to one of the pages where Sal or the Bear drops the blueberries into the pail, asking how many blueberries were dropped into the pail. After a correct response from a child, the teacher will ask another student to come up to the felt board and choose the correct numerals (made from the patterns attachment out of felt) that represents the number of berries that were in the pail. The teacher will then show the felt pail and berries. Have a child pick a numeral and then have the class chorally respond what number it represents. Then have another child come and put that many berries in the pail. Repeat this process several times until the teacher feels that the group has a good understanding of the concepts. Then have each color and cut out their own pail and berries set (use a premade pattern). When they are finished, the teacher will direct them to a numeral on the felt board. Ask the children to tell what numeral this is. Then have the children place that many berries in their own pail. The teacher may choose to continue the learning by adding problems like ‘If you have two berries in your pail and then pick up two more, how many do you have?’ or ‘If Sal and the little bear wanted to share their berries equally and they had six berries, how many would each have?
    • 2/5
      Although the images were adorable, I found this to be a bit anticlimactic. It's a simple story about a human parent and a momma bear each gathering or eating blueberries with their offspring. For the mothers', each of their babies get distracted and separated from them, then each of the mothers are taken aback when the wrong offspring encounters them.
    • 4/5
      Sal is a cutie, a really real and curious kid, not a little angel or a scapegrace as in so many books from that era. And I like the elegant anticlimax this hinges on, almost thee opposite of the constaht blaring that emerges from kids' anything nowadays. And the woodblock prints are nice, and this book is nice.
    • 5/5
      This classic book by Robert McCloskey has been on children's shelves since it was written in 1948. It tells the story of Sal, a little girl who goes blueberry picking with her mother and happens upon a bear on her quest for more blueberries.I love the one color illustrations of this book. It's almost as if the illustrations were tinted with blueberries! Sal's upturned nose is especially endearing. I was also impressed by the skill McCloskey shows by using only one color but giving it a lot of texture (such as in the bears' fur). McCloskey's writing is impressive as well. He uses onomatopoeia (with words such as "kuplink" to make the sound of a blueberry hitting the bottom of a pail) to bring his readers into Sal's world. I also love how he makes a direct comparison between Sal and Little Bear, who are both blueberry-lovers and get separated from their mothers, by going back and forth between each of their stories and using parallel structure. It's amazing! Children will love this book for years to come.
    • 5/5
      Content: Two pairs of mother and child (one pair bear and one pair human) head out to pick blueberries on the same hill. Along the way, the pairs get mixed up—the wrong baby with the wrong mother. But in the end, all go home happy and with food for the winter.My reaction: Predictable (in a good way) and humorous, this story would be a hit with young children who can sympathize with the hungry and curious young protagonists. Beautiful black and white illustrations make this book a treasure. Recommended Age Level: 3-6Award Information: 1949 Caldecott Honor book
    • 3/5
      Sal and her mother travel to the mountains to pick blueberries. Bucket in hand, Sal eats more fruit that she places in the pail.She wanders away from her mother in quest of juicy berries. While Sal's mother wants to collect berries to can and save for the winter, living for the moment, Sal eats her berries immediately.On the other side of the mountain is a large mother bear who is followed by her baby cub. Sal comes face to face with the mamma bear and Sal's mother is followed by the baby bear.Both bear and child are hunting for mama. Finding their respective mama's, little bear and little Sal head home.I enjoyed this delightful book that harkened back to simple days.
    • 5/5
      Blueberries for Sal is a picture book. The book is about Sal and her mother searching for blueberries in a field and also a mother bear and cub that are also searching for blueberries. Sal and the cub get mixed up and the mothers have to find their children. The ages this book is suitable for is 4 to 7.
    • 5/5
      One of the first books I remember my mother reading to me. Cute story, fantastic artwork--still a favorite
    • 5/5
      Part Bb/Picture Book plus Audio CDMcCloskey, R. (1948). Blueberries for Sal. New York: Puffin Books.Little Sal and her mother go up Blueberry Hill to pick blueberries to can for the winter. Little Sal eats the blueberries just as fast as she picks them. Little Bear and his mother go up Blueberry Hill to fill up on berries to store fat for the winter. He eats his blueberries and struggles to keep up with his mother. Both Little Sal and Little Bear get mixed up while on Blueberry Hill, but their mothers find them soon enough. The audio CD of Blueberries for Sal is read by two people, one female and one male. The two readers introduce themselves, the title of the book, and the author. The female reads the parts of the book that involve Little Sal and the male reads the parts that involve Little Bear. The reading is accompanied by background music and sound affects to enhance the mood of the story. Each reader adds sound affects and changes the tone of his/her voice to adjust for quotations. The reading is clear and entertaining. Ages 3 and up.
    • 4/5
      Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey is 1940s classic children's story. The story starts with Sal and her mother heading out to pick blueberries to can for the winter. Today, there are many children who may not know what canning is, so this idea in the story might cause some confusion for younger children that don't know anything about canning. Next, the story unfolds and reveals another mother/daughter pair out for blueberries, Mother Bear and Little Bear. Next, a case of mistaken identities occurs as the 'children' get lost and follow the wrong 'adult'. The story is predictable on many levels, but for the right age group and child I still think "Blueberries for Sal," is a wonderful story.
    • 5/5
      Sal and her mother travel up a hill to pick blueberries while a bear cub and his mother bear travel up the opposite side of the hill to pick berries as well. The pictures are amazing, and are all created using just one dark blue color.
    • 4/5
      I loved this as a kid because blueberries were my favorite fruit as a kid!
    • 5/5
      Absolutely loved this book! The repetition and simplicity were great for reading aloud and for early readers to practice. The premise was sweet and harkened back to a simpler time and place in the world... somewhere like childhood.
    • 5/5
      This old favorite about a little girl and her mother and a little bear and his mother getting mixed up with each other while picking blueberries continues to be loved by young children. It also lends itself well to storytelling, especially with props.
    • 4/5
      This book is about a girl(Sal) and her mom and a bear cub and its mom picking blueberries from opposite sides of a hill. This book is a book my mom used to read to me when I was little. Its my mom's favorite childhood book. It would be a great book for kinder and 1st grade students as it teaches them about the southern culture of picking fruit from vines/trees.
    • 5/5
      Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey is one of those classics I some how missed during my own childhood. Sal and her mother go out picking blueberries at the same time that a mother bear and her cub do the same.Sal and the cub, being youngsters, get too caught up in the fun of eating the berries and exploring the mountain to notice that they are wandering away from their mothers. Sal and the cub end up swapping mothers temporarily. As you can imagine, both mothers are horrified at finding the wrong child!Throughout the book has adorable illustrations of the mother and child pairs. They are done in blue, brown and yellows — an unconventional selection for a children's book but none the less very fetching.
    • 4/5
      A great, classic picture book.
    • 5/5
      This is another book I'd love to read to my son when he was small. The illustrations of Sal in the kitchen with her mother, and blueberry picking on the hill (in New Hampshire and without the bears), that was me growing up. With every year that passes living away from New England, memories get sweeter, so books like this one bring me right back there.
    • 5/5
      If you grew up in Maine in blueberry country, this book will bring back your summer days so vividly you almost can't stand it! Although we never met up with bears, the scrubby blueberry woods are depicted so well here it's amazing. I always loved the endpapers as a girl, with the cheery detailed scene of a kitchen.
    • 4/5
      Beautiful artwork in this classic, award winning picture book.
    • 1/5
      This book is about a little girl and her mother who went out to a hill to pick blueberries for the winter. The mother would pick the blueberries and drop them in her pail; Sal would pick the blueberries and eat them. Because Sal was eating the blueberries instead of paying attention to where her mother was going she became lost but didn’t even notice. On the other side of the hill were a mother bear and baby bear and they were doing the same thing Sal and her mother was doing. The baby bear got lost and didn’t notice because he is playing. Both Sal and baby bear run to catch up with their mothers but end up with the wrong mother. Luckily the mixup is straightened out and each one continues on preparing for winter.I started out reading this book and became very unengaged in it. It didn't catch my attention and draw me in. I felt like it just repeated it's self. I was not real pleased with this book.One could use this book if they were going to teach about the way people used to do it when there was not a Wal-Mart just around the corner. They could use it if they were teaching about pay attention.
    • 3/5
      This is a classic that has been around since 1949. It is about a boy named Sal and his mother go picking blueberries and become separtaed. They bothe end up facing a bear but eventually find their way back to each other. It was a story that had very bland colors that I don't feel kids are attracted to as much. It could be used when you are talking about the classics.
    • 4/5
      I love McCloskey’s books.
    • 3/5
      Bluberries for Sal is a story of blueberry picking between a girl and her mother and a Momma bear and her cub. Lil sal and baby bear both lag behind their mothers to consume berries and become seperated from their mothers. In an effort to reunite they go towards they think is their mothers and end up being mixed up. Mom has baby bear and Momma bear has Lil Sal. Cautiously they each go off in search of their children and reunite after listening for the familiar sounds of them. Lil Sal's sound was the nose the blueberries made when hitting the bottom of her bucket. For Momma bear the sound of baby bear munching and swallowing blueberries lead her to her cub. Both mothers were preparing for winter - Mother to can the blueberries and Momma bear to put fat on for hibernation.This book is in black and white so it was more the story which kept my children engrossed. Winning the Caldecott for illustraions doesnt mean it has to be in color but would have been more inviting had it been. The story was a good one with many openings for questions or situational suggestions.In the classroom we could use this in several ways. We could talk about different practices with winter prepartaions, bears hibernate and why its important to store fat. Or why it was important that mom can blueberries for later. In another aspect we could use the dangers of happening upon strange animals and suggestions for reacting properly.
    • 3/5
      SummarySal and her mother go to collect as many blueberries as possible before the seasons change, but with Sal eating them faster than they are being picked it's a difficult task. Sal wanders off and soon swaps places with a bear cub who was out eating blueberries before winter comes with his mother.Personal ReactionThis story was a long children's book, but it made me remember going and picking blackberries with my cousins and uncle in Northern California in the summertime and how we used to way them all before we met back up with the rest of our family.Class Extension1. Bring blueberries to snack on and talk about the importance of eating fruits (and vegetables).2. Talk about how different seasons cause certain plants to come and go.3. Talk about why the bears were eating as much as they could before winter and the process of hibernation.
    • 5/5
      lovely book to share with kids 1-3 grades.
    • 4/5
      This story tells of summer and picking berries. Sal and her mother pick berries to can for the winter season and Sal can't help but eat a few while she picks :) Sal and her mother notice a mama bear and her cub picking and Sal is intrigued. She becomes so interested that she begins to following the mama bear rather than her own mother. This entertaining, warm story is definitely worth a share!
    • 5/5
      Summary:A little girl and her mother are picking blueberries, which they plan to can for winter, when a mother bear and her cub also wander onto Blueberry Hill to stock up on their pre-winter diet. The pairs get mixed up in this short picture book, but everyone comes out fine. Personal reaction:The book kinda took me back to waiting by my parents' sides as we were out shopping and such. Mindlessly having to keep up with their larger steps and eventually becoming too tired and sitting down where I could achieve removing my boredom. I did kinda get worried for Little Sal as coming into contact with bears is not something I would want my child or even myself to do. Classroom extension:I can see using this as maybe step in the door to explaining not only cultures that have to stock up and save food for the winter, but maybe also discussing bears and how they eat and eat to pack fat for winter hibernation. Maybe making the Kerplink/plank/plunk might be fun for students.
    • 4/5
      This is a simple book of a Little Sal, and Little Sal's mother, and Little Bear, and Little Bear's mother, who get mixed up with each other on Blueberry Hill.It's very realistically written and illustrated, and the exciting part isn't too scary for little ones. I will note that it's a bit long - maybe better for kids with longer attention spans than shorter ones. If they're as young as Little Sal is, it might be better to wait a year before reading :)
    • 3/5
      This book is a great historical fiction. The book covers a realistic expression of picking berries a long time ago. The book really grabs the reader and makes a fun story for primary ages to read. The characters in this plot are not very well developed, but the book is still very fun to read. You don't know much about Sal or her Mother but the story is still a fun read.