Children of the Dust Bowl

Stanley, Jerry. 1992. CHILDREN OF THE DUST BOWL. THE TRUE STORY OF THE SCHOOL AT WEEDPATCH CAMP. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-517-58781-5

PLOT SUMMARY
The true story that took place at the emergency farm-labor camp, Weedpatch Camp, immortalized in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. Just as the adult migrant workers that came from Texas and Oklahoma faced prejudices, so did their children. Hence, the children living in the camp were not wanted in the public schools. That was until Superintendent Leo Hart and 50 Dust Bowl children built their own school, Weedpatch School, in a nearby field.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
A gripping book that does more than educate the reader about the Dust Bowl . It moves the reader - or listener to ask questions about the photography and about the faces of the children they meet in these pages. The photography reiterates to the reader, "Yes, this really did happen! Don't forget it!" The extent of Mr. Stanley's research was formidable. At the closing of the book he provides bibliographic notes and picture credits. In like manner, he begins the book with an introduction that sets the stage for the book, relating this book's connection to John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.
The book inspires and gives hope. My older students walked away believing that if we persevere and not give up, good things will come.
In the final pages Leo Hart states:

"You know, history is always full of choices. It's possible to achieve anything. Look at these kids, and look at what they've become."

After reading part of a chapter, I asked my students to write in their journals about what they had enjoyed or disliked about this particular section of the book. One of my students wrote that Mr. Heart was a hero - and like her father. I asked her if she realized that she had misspelled Mr. Hart's last name, to which she responded, "Oh no, Miss. I know how his name is spelled, but THIS is the way it should have been spelled." That brought a knot at my throat and tears to my eyes.

REVIEWS
"Photo and journalistic documentation combine with a powerful writing style to make this an inspiring, 78-page nonfiction read aloud." - From Children's Literature

"A thorough index enhances the research value of the book, although it is interesting enough to enjoy for itself. The book is lavishly illustrated with period black-and-white photographs. An informative and inspirational bit of American history." -From School Library Journal


CONNECTIONS
Other titles at various reading levels on the same topic.
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman
Dust for Dinner by Anne Warren Turner. This is an I Can Read Book Series: Level 3.
Time lines and geography would be fantastic skills to use during the study of this era - or the reading of these books.
A prevalent topic in Children of the Dust Bowl is prejudice. Many of my older students viewed prejudice based on the color of one's skin. This book demonstrated to my students that that was not always the case and was a great way to introduce the themes of injustice, perseverance and heroes.

What do You do When Something Wants to Eat You?

Jenkins, Steve. 1997. WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN SOMETHING WANTS TO EAT YOU? Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-395-82514-8

PLOT SUMMARY
Using colorful paper collage artwork, Steven Jenkins depicts how fourteen animals that are about to perish, escape with their lives. One page introduces the victim-to-be, and the following page describes its defense mechanism. The book ends with a peculiar question aimed at the reader, "What would you do if something wanted to eat you?

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The cover and title are a clear invitation to pick up this book. The cover depicts a bird attempting to have a to-go dinner. This is the type of book you take from the shelf and sit in the same isle where you found it to finish reading it. Simon keeps the attention of the reader by using colorful paper collage artwork. The artwork is simple, but that works as a plus making it easy for young readers to focus their attention on the prey or the predator. The book reads like a suspense thriller. On one page we find the poor victim about to meet its untimely death, but on the following page we learn how it outwitted its predator.

When an octopus is threatened...
(next page)
it squirts a thick cloud of black into into the water, confusing its
attacker.

Simon also doesn't sugar coat the realities of the brutal animal world.

The glass snake is really a lizard without legs. When it is grabbed by the
tail...its tail breaks into many small, wriggling pieces.

This caused many "yukkkks!" from the girls , but lots of "Wow, cools" from my boys. This book never rested on my bookshelf, but rather traveled from one student to another.



REVIEWS
"In this absorbing tribute to nature's genius, cut-paper collages illustrate the built-in defenses of animals and insects..." - From Publisher's Weekly


"Useful for teachers introducing animal defenses and the terms that go along with the subject and a great choice for a story time." - From School Library Journal

CONNECTIONS

While all the animals in our book escape from death, this book is a great way to begin the study of life cycles. The book also makes for a fantastic read aloud, making each turn of a page very suspenseful!

Students quickly understood that the ellipsis meant there is more to come and thus a language arts lesson was incorporated.

Other books by Steve Jenkins: Move! , Actual Size , What do You do With a Tail Like This? , and Animal Dads, to name a few.