Blueberries for Sal

Blueberry Sal: “Kerplink, Kerplank, Kerplunk,” three famous words emerge from this picture book for young readers.  Little Sal and her mother and Little Bear and his mother are off on similar adventures on Blueberry Hill gathering blueberries for the winter.  In this heart-warming parallel plot, Little Sal and Little Bear join up with the wrong mothers and find themselves totally mixed up.  McCloskey’s use of heavy navy blue outlines contrasts with thin delicate lines in his beautiful double-page illustrations. So naturally, the reader scans from far left to far-right as the story unfolds. However, the inside cover is where the reading really begins as we see Little Sal and her mother in the kitchen bottling blueberries. Blueberry Hill is even seen in a glimpse out the kitchen window.

Note: McCloskey was the first artist to receive the Caldecott Medal (illustration) twice.  McCloskey’s daughter Sally served as the model for 3-year-old Sal right down to her Mary Jane shoes.