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Blueberries for Sal
Blueberries for Sal
Little Sal and Little Bear both lose their mothers while eating blueberries and almost end up with the other's mother.
52 pages, Hardcover
First published September 17, 1948
204 people are currently reading
13129 people want to read
About the author
Robert McCloskey
52 books357 followersJohn Robert McCloskey was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He both wrote and illustrated eight picture books and won two Caldecott Medals from the American Library Association recognizing the year's best-illustrated picture book. Four of those eight books were set in Maine: Blueberries for Sal, One Morning in Maine, Time of Wonder, and Burt Dow, Deep-water Man; the last three all on the coast. He was also the writer for Make Way For Ducklings, as well as the illustrator for The Man Who Lost His Head.
McCloskey was born in Hamilton, Ohio, during 1914 and reached Boston in 1932 with a scholarship to study at Vesper George Art School. After Vesper George he moved to New York City for study at the National Academy of Design.
In 1940, he married Peggy Durand, daughter of the children's writer Ruth Sawyer. They had two daughters, Sally and Jane, and settled in New York State, spending summers on Scott Island, a small island off Little Deer Isle in East Penobscot Bay. McCloskey's wife and eldest daughter Sally are reputed to be the models for little Sal and her mother in Blueberries for Sal (1948), a picture book set on a "Blueberry Hill" in the vicinity. Three others of his picture books are set on the coast and concern the sea.
Peggy died in 1991. Twelve years later on June 30, 2003, McCloskey died at his home in Deer Isle, Maine.
McCloskey was born in Hamilton, Ohio, during 1914 and reached Boston in 1932 with a scholarship to study at Vesper George Art School. After Vesper George he moved to New York City for study at the National Academy of Design.
In 1940, he married Peggy Durand, daughter of the children's writer Ruth Sawyer. They had two daughters, Sally and Jane, and settled in New York State, spending summers on Scott Island, a small island off Little Deer Isle in East Penobscot Bay. McCloskey's wife and eldest daughter Sally are reputed to be the models for little Sal and her mother in Blueberries for Sal (1948), a picture book set on a "Blueberry Hill" in the vicinity. Three others of his picture books are set on the coast and concern the sea.
Peggy died in 1991. Twelve years later on June 30, 2003, McCloskey died at his home in Deer Isle, Maine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,665 reviews
June 3, 2017
I love the simple black and white illustrations in this book, and the subtle repetition of situations.
Sal and her mother go out to pick blueberries.
Unbeknowst to each other, Mother Bear has also taken her cub out to eat blueberries. And soon there is a mix up on the mountainside . . .
This is a delightful book to read aloud to children, over and over. The illustrations are very evocative of a time that is now past, and yet is always present.
Sal and her mother go out to pick blueberries.
Unbeknowst to each other, Mother Bear has also taken her cub out to eat blueberries. And soon there is a mix up on the mountainside . . .
This is a delightful book to read aloud to children, over and over. The illustrations are very evocative of a time that is now past, and yet is always present.
December 21, 2023
I actually finished reading it over and over again to my 3yo granddaughter who got fixated on this story.
July 27, 2018
This mother has nerves of steel. She is missing her baby on a blueberry mountain and she meets a bear and walks around calmly looking for her baby. I guess that's the way to do it.
I think the art is nice - mostly black and white illustrations. The story is interesting and there is quite a bit of tension in it for kids. Two parties go up a hill to pick blueberries and the afternoon gets interesting. It's a solid story and I see it on many lists. I think I like this better than the Caldecott winner for the year.
The nephew thought this book was funny. He laughed at the mix-up. He gave it 5 stars.
I think the art is nice - mostly black and white illustrations. The story is interesting and there is quite a bit of tension in it for kids. Two parties go up a hill to pick blueberries and the afternoon gets interesting. It's a solid story and I see it on many lists. I think I like this better than the Caldecott winner for the year.
The nephew thought this book was funny. He laughed at the mix-up. He gave it 5 stars.
May 10, 2019
A lovely simple tale of a mother and daughter going to pick fruit to preserve for the winter. They are not the only fruit pickers about but it all ends well!
This story certainly struck a chord with me, we always pick as many blackberries as we can for jam and freezing and when my daughter was small, just like Sal, she would eat all she could pick and start on what I had gathered.
This story has wonderful pictures and is a lovely glimpse of a traditional, seasonal, mother and child activity.
Borrowed from openlibrary.
This story certainly struck a chord with me, we always pick as many blackberries as we can for jam and freezing and when my daughter was small, just like Sal, she would eat all she could pick and start on what I had gathered.
This story has wonderful pictures and is a lovely glimpse of a traditional, seasonal, mother and child activity.
Borrowed from openlibrary.
November 22, 2020
WHY IS THIS BOOK SOOOO CUUUUTE??
May 18, 2022
I’m sharing this review for those with young children or grandchildren. I only know how to place the book in the context of raising my sons so many years ago.
Perhaps Blueberries for Sal, published in 1948, is the picture book my sister, age four, and I, age two-and-a-half, are intently studying in my favorite childhood photograph. My father took the picture before he and my mother divorced. But even when I enlarge the photo, I can’t see the title of the book we are holding. But I hope it was Blueberries for Sal.
In 1976 during our weekly library visit, my sons Matthew and Joshua discovered the story about little Sal and her mother picking blueberries on Blueberry Hill. What drew me to the book was the drawing of the car on the very first page because it resembled our old blue 1945 Chevy, and reminded me of a time when my parents were still married.
My husband Tim and I purchased our first (and only) house in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. He was hired as an English teacher at the high school in town, some twenty blocks from where we lived. Between the high school and our front yard was an old train track built in 1880. The first train chugged through Mount Horeb, with a wood-burning stove, in 1881—almost one hundred years before we moved there.
Early in life, I fell in love with trains. And books. My father’s parents lived close to a train track in Browns, Illinois. Although I had only visited them a hand full of times before Mom and Dad divorced, the sound of a train whistle reminds me of those cozy evenings when I would fall asleep in my aunt’s lumpy bed, surrounded by family, a book in hand.
At age thirty and married myself, I would grab a free moment and lie on my bed upstairs and close my eyes, listening to the train whistle. But in 1983, when my four sons were aged twelve, ten, four, and two, the ICC approved abandonment of the line between Fitchburg and Mount Horeb, which ended rail service. No more nightly whistle to soothe my restless heart. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources converted the old track into the Military Ridge Trail. But that is exactly when I began hiking along the old train track with my sons. And that is when Tim would sometimes tag along, carrying a pail to hold wild blueberries or raspberries.
Matthew and Joshua, the older sons, were quite familiar with the story of little Sal. But to Nathan, four, and Adam, two, the book was brand new. During one of our weekly trips to the local library, I happened to see the book on a table in the children’s section. “Nathan. Adam,” I whispered loudly as they sat on the floor rummaging through a pile of picture books. “Here’s a book your older brothers used to love when they were little.” I held up the book with Sal on the cover.
“What’s that girl eating?” asked Nathan.
“Blueberries.”
“Like the ones we pick?”
“Exactly, and there’s a surprise visit by a mamma bear and her cub. They also like blueberries.”
Both boys came over to me and I began to read. When I finished, Nathan said, “Can we take the book home? Can Matthew or Joshua read it to us?”
“Oh, I think that’s a great idea.”
That afternoon Matthew and Joshua, already book lovers, were happy to oblige their little brothers’ request. I stayed in the kitchen that day when the older boys got home from school. But I could easily hear them talking. “Matthew,” said Nathan, “read how Sal takes berries from her mom’s pail.”
After Matthew and Joshua stacked their school books on the end table, all four brothers plunked down on our couch. Oh how I wanted to peek at them, all squeezed together like sardines. But back then, I didn’t know how quickly time passes. That little boys don’t stay little forever. Before Matthew could begin reading, Nathan started talking.“You see, guys, Sal follows her mother up the hill to pick berries. They want to make jam for the winter. And a mommy bear and her baby are climbing up the other side. They are eating berries to keep them full over the winter. And, guess what? Sal and Little Bear get all mixed up and follow the wrong mothers.”
“Looks like you already know the story,” said Joshua.
Adam joined in. “Kuplink. Kuplank. Kuplunk.”
“That’s the way berries sound in the pail,” explained Nathan.
“We know,” said Matthew and Joshua.
I smiled as I bent over the stove. I knew I better hurry up with dinner. Soon, they would all want to go for a walk along the old train tracks, searching for berries. It doesn’t matter if Blueberries for Sal was the book my sister Sharon and I were reading in 1948. What matters is that my sons loved books. I loved books. My mother loved books.
And we all loved Blueberries for Sal.
Perhaps Blueberries for Sal, published in 1948, is the picture book my sister, age four, and I, age two-and-a-half, are intently studying in my favorite childhood photograph. My father took the picture before he and my mother divorced. But even when I enlarge the photo, I can’t see the title of the book we are holding. But I hope it was Blueberries for Sal.
In 1976 during our weekly library visit, my sons Matthew and Joshua discovered the story about little Sal and her mother picking blueberries on Blueberry Hill. What drew me to the book was the drawing of the car on the very first page because it resembled our old blue 1945 Chevy, and reminded me of a time when my parents were still married.
My husband Tim and I purchased our first (and only) house in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. He was hired as an English teacher at the high school in town, some twenty blocks from where we lived. Between the high school and our front yard was an old train track built in 1880. The first train chugged through Mount Horeb, with a wood-burning stove, in 1881—almost one hundred years before we moved there.
Early in life, I fell in love with trains. And books. My father’s parents lived close to a train track in Browns, Illinois. Although I had only visited them a hand full of times before Mom and Dad divorced, the sound of a train whistle reminds me of those cozy evenings when I would fall asleep in my aunt’s lumpy bed, surrounded by family, a book in hand.
At age thirty and married myself, I would grab a free moment and lie on my bed upstairs and close my eyes, listening to the train whistle. But in 1983, when my four sons were aged twelve, ten, four, and two, the ICC approved abandonment of the line between Fitchburg and Mount Horeb, which ended rail service. No more nightly whistle to soothe my restless heart. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources converted the old track into the Military Ridge Trail. But that is exactly when I began hiking along the old train track with my sons. And that is when Tim would sometimes tag along, carrying a pail to hold wild blueberries or raspberries.
Matthew and Joshua, the older sons, were quite familiar with the story of little Sal. But to Nathan, four, and Adam, two, the book was brand new. During one of our weekly trips to the local library, I happened to see the book on a table in the children’s section. “Nathan. Adam,” I whispered loudly as they sat on the floor rummaging through a pile of picture books. “Here’s a book your older brothers used to love when they were little.” I held up the book with Sal on the cover.
“What’s that girl eating?” asked Nathan.
“Blueberries.”
“Like the ones we pick?”
“Exactly, and there’s a surprise visit by a mamma bear and her cub. They also like blueberries.”
Both boys came over to me and I began to read. When I finished, Nathan said, “Can we take the book home? Can Matthew or Joshua read it to us?”
“Oh, I think that’s a great idea.”
That afternoon Matthew and Joshua, already book lovers, were happy to oblige their little brothers’ request. I stayed in the kitchen that day when the older boys got home from school. But I could easily hear them talking. “Matthew,” said Nathan, “read how Sal takes berries from her mom’s pail.”
After Matthew and Joshua stacked their school books on the end table, all four brothers plunked down on our couch. Oh how I wanted to peek at them, all squeezed together like sardines. But back then, I didn’t know how quickly time passes. That little boys don’t stay little forever. Before Matthew could begin reading, Nathan started talking.“You see, guys, Sal follows her mother up the hill to pick berries. They want to make jam for the winter. And a mommy bear and her baby are climbing up the other side. They are eating berries to keep them full over the winter. And, guess what? Sal and Little Bear get all mixed up and follow the wrong mothers.”
“Looks like you already know the story,” said Joshua.
Adam joined in. “Kuplink. Kuplank. Kuplunk.”
“That’s the way berries sound in the pail,” explained Nathan.
“We know,” said Matthew and Joshua.
I smiled as I bent over the stove. I knew I better hurry up with dinner. Soon, they would all want to go for a walk along the old train tracks, searching for berries. It doesn’t matter if Blueberries for Sal was the book my sister Sharon and I were reading in 1948. What matters is that my sons loved books. I loved books. My mother loved books.
And we all loved Blueberries for Sal.
March 30, 2015
The reason I picked this one? Partly for my niece and partly because of:
Our neighbors Helen and Mike (second grandparents really) had five blueberry bushes while we were growing up. Sometimes we would pick blueberries with them and sometimes we get a bowlful after Helen had given her family their share. To this day, they are still my favorite fruit :)
Story: four stars
Narrator: 5 stars
Actual rating 4.5 stars all around <3
A short book but a wonderful and cute story. The narrator does a great job with the different voices of everyone in the story. A couple moments made me laugh, but the whole time it made me smile and remember the fun I had picking my own (and time I got stung on the lip because I didn't know a bee had flown in the bush).
Funny thing... this story seemed somewhat familiar the whole time. I'm thinking perhaps I had read this before or had it read to me? Possible... shame I can't remember.
Would recommend for all ages :)Happy reading!
The audiobook download is fairly cheap on ITunes, splurge for that if you can :) It adds an extra element to the experience methinks.
Our neighbors Helen and Mike (second grandparents really) had five blueberry bushes while we were growing up. Sometimes we would pick blueberries with them and sometimes we get a bowlful after Helen had given her family their share. To this day, they are still my favorite fruit :)
Story: four stars
Narrator: 5 stars
Actual rating 4.5 stars all around <3
A short book but a wonderful and cute story. The narrator does a great job with the different voices of everyone in the story. A couple moments made me laugh, but the whole time it made me smile and remember the fun I had picking my own (and time I got stung on the lip because I didn't know a bee had flown in the bush).
Funny thing... this story seemed somewhat familiar the whole time. I'm thinking perhaps I had read this before or had it read to me? Possible... shame I can't remember.
Would recommend for all ages :)Happy reading!
The audiobook download is fairly cheap on ITunes, splurge for that if you can :) It adds an extra element to the experience methinks.
September 1, 2020
I loved this book as a kid! Super cute writing and classic pictures.
May 25, 2013
“Blueberries for Sal” is a Caldecott Honor Book by Robert McCloskey that is about how Little Sal and Little Bear wandered off from their mothers and ended up with the other’s mother during a day of blueberry picking. “Blueberries for Sal” is a wonderful book that many children will read for many years to come.
Robert McCloskey has done an amazing job at both writing and illustrating this book. Robert McCloskey makes this story extremely cute as it strongly relates to the typical child mix-up scenario that some parents have whenever they go on a shopping expedition with their children and their children wandered off and the parent somehow ends up with someone else’s child. Robert McCloskey’s illustrations are extremely beautiful as the characters look realistic, especially of the images of the bears as they have shiny coats and vivid expressions displayed on their faces whenever they act surprise. Also, the images are mainly in black and white, which gives this book an old fashioned feel to the story, even though this book was actually made during the late 40s.
“Blueberries for Sal” is a brilliant book for children who are huge fans of books that expressed the typical child mix-up escapade and who also love books done by Robert McCloskey. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
August 14, 2023
Re-read this one with a small friend today. I'd forgotten the loveliness of the narrative parallelism. And endpapers that tell the story is always a 10/10 for me. McCloskey is just the best! Perfect August reading, for savoring the sweetness of late summer.
July 5, 2019
The illustrations in this book, from the detailed kitchen scene to the wide open hillside scenes, are beautiful. The author points out similarities between humans and animals when it comes to the behavior of mothers and children.
April 22, 2021
My younger sister and I grew up having our dad read Robert McCloskey books to us on a regular basis. One of our favourites was Blueberries for Sal. I listened to the 'read along' version of this, delightfully narrated by Jake Gyllenhaal, and was transported with a 'kaplink, kaplank, kaplunk!' right back to my childhood.
February 3, 2009
When Sal and her mother go blueberrying, they are both too busy picking (or in Sal's case, eating) to keep an eye on one another. Coincidentally, another mother-and-child duo has the same problem at the same time...
September 3, 2018
I would probably recommend this book only with a caveat: I don't think it's suitable for kids who live in areas where there are actual bears; it could easily give them the wrong idea.
This classic book is about a little girl who goes picking blueberries with her mother. On Blueberry Hill, there's a bit of a mix-up, and Sal ends up following a mama bear while the little bear ends up following Sal's mother! In the book, there's no bloodshed (of course), and the resolution is cute, though somewhat unrealistic. I'm not sure, given the nature of mama bears in relation to their young, that the bear would take very kindly to seeing that her baby had been replaced with a human; that sounds like a recipe for disaster!
But the pictures are really cute (even if they do scream 1948) and the language is age appropriate, so it's easy to see why this has become a classic. Blueberries for Sal could potentially become a favourite for another generation... but hopefully with some straight talk about the dangers of bears.
This classic book is about a little girl who goes picking blueberries with her mother. On Blueberry Hill, there's a bit of a mix-up, and Sal ends up following a mama bear while the little bear ends up following Sal's mother! In the book, there's no bloodshed (of course), and the resolution is cute, though somewhat unrealistic. I'm not sure, given the nature of mama bears in relation to their young, that the bear would take very kindly to seeing that her baby had been replaced with a human; that sounds like a recipe for disaster!
But the pictures are really cute (even if they do scream 1948) and the language is age appropriate, so it's easy to see why this has become a classic. Blueberries for Sal could potentially become a favourite for another generation... but hopefully with some straight talk about the dangers of bears.
September 16, 2013
What a charming book! Written in 1948, Blueberries For Sal has received a Caldecott Honor.
I’m surprised I never read this book as a child or even noticed it at the library when my own children were young.
The story surrounds a young girl named Sal who goes blueberry picking with her mother. At the same time a mother bear and her young cub go blueberry eating to prepare for winter. Babies and mothers meet up unexpectedly.
The adventures of little Sal and the baby bear while hunting for blueberries with their mothers are beautifully illustrated in this classic children’s book. I especially enjoyed the old fashioned quality of the drawings as they capture the spirit of a long gone era.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys classic children’s stories.
I’m surprised I never read this book as a child or even noticed it at the library when my own children were young.
The story surrounds a young girl named Sal who goes blueberry picking with her mother. At the same time a mother bear and her young cub go blueberry eating to prepare for winter. Babies and mothers meet up unexpectedly.
The adventures of little Sal and the baby bear while hunting for blueberries with their mothers are beautifully illustrated in this classic children’s book. I especially enjoyed the old fashioned quality of the drawings as they capture the spirit of a long gone era.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys classic children’s stories.
October 20, 2007
First of all, Sal looks like my most vivid memories of my sister when she was that age, so I love her.
Second of all, what's not to love about a story of mistaken identity set in a blueberry patch?
Third...Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk.
'nuff said.
Oh...a nice addition to my unit on using prior knowledge to make predictions and help yourself understand a story. "Boys and girls, what kinds of animals like to eat blueberries?"
Second of all, what's not to love about a story of mistaken identity set in a blueberry patch?
Third...Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk.
'nuff said.
Oh...a nice addition to my unit on using prior knowledge to make predictions and help yourself understand a story. "Boys and girls, what kinds of animals like to eat blueberries?"
May 6, 2019
Caldecott Honor: 1949
Precious. This story brings back childhood memories for me. I grew up on a small farm that had a large blueberry patch that grew bountiful crops of berries each year. I can still hear that kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk from dropping those juicy berries into my pail. I will admit; I did eat a lot of berries like Sal, too.
Precious. This story brings back childhood memories for me. I grew up on a small farm that had a large blueberry patch that grew bountiful crops of berries each year. I can still hear that kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk from dropping those juicy berries into my pail. I will admit; I did eat a lot of berries like Sal, too.
August 10, 2022
Beautiful story and book!
May 12, 2022
Featured in a grandma reads session.
Sweet, quick read about babies and mamas in parallel species. Mama bear and baby bear hunting blueberries, and Mama Human and baby human hunting blueberries. . . .paths cross, things could go terribly wrong, but they are in the magic world of a blueberry hill and all gets sorted and everyone gets their blueberries.
This was read to me by my grandma, and so it was time for me to pass the baton, and I'm pretty sure some one of these will read this to their grandchild and will pass on the witness of blueberry magic in the world.
Sweet, quick read about babies and mamas in parallel species. Mama bear and baby bear hunting blueberries, and Mama Human and baby human hunting blueberries. . . .paths cross, things could go terribly wrong, but they are in the magic world of a blueberry hill and all gets sorted and everyone gets their blueberries.
This was read to me by my grandma, and so it was time for me to pass the baton, and I'm pretty sure some one of these will read this to their grandchild and will pass on the witness of blueberry magic in the world.
February 5, 2017
Adorable illustrations, but the only thing I could think about while reading the book was that reality would have been a completely different story altogether!
October 14, 2017
Such a delightful story!
May 30, 2025
What a heartwarming story. I keep finding those dear stories. By the way I read this for me))))
November 14, 2023
Love this classic! Hope to own it one day!
November 21, 2018
3.5! cute as heck
August 21, 2015
Confession. This is one of my favorite books EV-ER. Read this any time of year, but especially in late summer or early fall, before or after a berry-picking or berry-buying excursion. Anyone who has ever picked berries in the wild will relate to this little larger-than-life adventure.
I treasure all those drives up into the hills of the Targhee National Forest with my mom, aunts, sisters, and cousins where we hiked into the huckleberry patches and heard the ping-ping-ping of berries hitting the bottom of our empty pails. I never thought of seeing a bear. I think we made too much noise! Nowadays the patches are picked over early by commercial teams. Sigh.
Follow up the shared story experience by enjoying a piece of bread smothered in jelly. If you're brave and ambitious, make a batch of jam to relish!
I absolutely LOVE McCloskey's sympathetic illustrations. He has perfectly captured the innocence and drama of the little girl and little bear and the grandeur of the great outdoors.
I treasure all those drives up into the hills of the Targhee National Forest with my mom, aunts, sisters, and cousins where we hiked into the huckleberry patches and heard the ping-ping-ping of berries hitting the bottom of our empty pails. I never thought of seeing a bear. I think we made too much noise! Nowadays the patches are picked over early by commercial teams. Sigh.
Follow up the shared story experience by enjoying a piece of bread smothered in jelly. If you're brave and ambitious, make a batch of jam to relish!
I absolutely LOVE McCloskey's sympathetic illustrations. He has perfectly captured the innocence and drama of the little girl and little bear and the grandeur of the great outdoors.
February 21, 2009
This is a fun story to read, with mirroring tales of the mamas and their babies. I like that it's illustrated in only black and white; the drawings are very vivid. And the story is fun, too, even though that situation in real life might end up being a sad story. Our girls enjoyed it too and it made me hungry for blueberries, yum!
March 15, 2012
I remember how I used to sit beside my mother while she would peel the peas out of the pea-pod and place them in a container for cooking and I would peel them off to eat the peas, contributing a few only when she gave me the look :P
Two things make this a great children book:
1) Using symmetry in prose
2) Showing how children are fearless unlike adults
So true! :)
Two things make this a great children book:
1) Using symmetry in prose
2) Showing how children are fearless unlike adults
So true! :)
January 5, 2017
My current three-year-old is always resistant to hearing this story read aloud to him, however, I talked him into hearing it when I told him there was a talking bear inside. He ended up enjoying the story, and I enjoyed reading it to him.
January 1, 2020
Full disclosure, I needed a twentieth book. But Johnny wants a tattoo of these beautiful illustrations, and we are up in Bridgton in his home as we cross into 2020. I am warm here in the snow. All of us here pass time together.
April 1, 2020
Reminded me of the time we (me and him,) had hit the road and stopped by the road to pick berries to make jams out of them. We scratched all our hands and feet and faces but ended up with the most delicious blueberry jams. Yum.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,665 reviews