Dust for Dinner

by Ann Turner

Book Overview

Jake and Maggy lived on a farm where they loved to sing and dance to the music from Mama's radio. Then terrible dust storms came and ruined the land. The family had no choice but to auction off the farm and make the long, hard journey west to California-away from the dust storms, where the land is still green. Along the way, Papa tries to find work, and Jake and Maggy try to help too. But what if Papa can't find a job? What if California isn't better...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 006444225X
• ISBN13: 9780064442251
• Release Date: February 1997
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.5" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Kindergarten to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Excellent Historical Fiction For Kids

Children will enjoy the books in this series, build reading skills, expand vocabulary, and learn about history all together while reading these books! The illustrations are good as well. We loved them all and read them more than once. You could add these to a study of American history for young kids and make the curriculum more interesting.

A Way to Connect

I featured this book in my 4th grade class's unit on "How We Came to California." It was the best book that told about the journey of many families to the Golden State during the Dust Bowl Days because it included why they left, how they came and the struggle once they got here. To make it even more special, my grandmother came to read it to the students because she lived in CA during this time and helped the people who came to her town from Oaklahoma and Kansas. Having an elder read it to the kids was the most memorable thing to many of the kids who simply did not know about this period of their family's history.

Includes facts in an interesting story format

Gradeschool children who read this story identified with the story characters. Students went away with appreciation for this time in American History. It was easy to read and informative. It made many students realize how fortunate they are.