The Green Coat: A Tale from the Dust Bowl Years

by Rosemary Mcdunn

Book Overview

The universal appeal of "The Green Coat" is due to Mrs. McDunn's mastery of historical events, excellent dialogue, rich characters, and her tribute to the human spirit. Young readers are captivated by... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0979225876
• ISBN13: 9780979225871
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Bezalel Books
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

The faith we have lost

I read "The Green Coat" in a couple of tear filled hours. While it is not a lengthily book it says more in it's few pages about real faith in action then we could glean from many weeks of a Bible study about faith. In the midst of a crisis many people can not get beyond asking 'Why would God allow this to happen?' The answer is on page 104 of this book (or 105 of the revised version). We were never promised life would be easy but we have been promised that faith in God will see us through, bring comfort and work to our good. This book shows how faith in God did exactly that for seven real people through their different heart wrenching situations. This story based on a time in the life of the author's Mother is real life faith in action. We think we have gained so much today with our modern advances, technology, knowledge and "stuff" but in reading this book about real people in extremely tough times I see clearly how much we have lost. The author helps the reader understand that time of our country's history without going into a long description. We see so clearly through this great story how important relationships are for everyone's good. Unfortunately we are too busy to support, nurture and enjoy other people as we should. Another truth seen clearly is that we are not training our children from a young age about the importance of hard work and skills they will need as adults to care for themselves and others. Instead they are learning that life is meant to be about fun, sports and tv. What will become of them if life gets very hard in the future as so many times in history it has?

Fantastic Fiction - Educational and Entertaining

One of the most fantastic ways to teach children about history is through the art of storytelling. Topics which may appear dry and uninteresting in a textbook can truly come to life if they are conveyed with character and style. The Green Coat: A Tale from the Dust Bowl Years is doubly successful as a work of fiction in that it instructs about an important period in our country's history while sharing a story that is both heartwarming and inspirational. This novel by first time author and Michigan educator Rosemary McDunn will appeal to a broad audience ranging from middle school readers to adults. Set in the 1930s in the Great Plains state of North Dakota, The Green Coat introduces us in its earliest pages to twelve year old Tressa Bauer. Hailing from the humble farming town of Dazey, Tressa appears to be a bit of a "Daddy's girl". What her family lacks in financial resources, they seem to make up for in familial bonds. But shortly after the celebration of her twelfth birthday, Tressa is forced to deal with some very grown up news - owing to losses suffered from a lingering drought, her parents are on the verge of losing the family farm. As auctioneers eventually sell all of their land and property, Tressa's parents are forced to make a horrible decision in order to survive. Tressa and her older brother Will, the two youngest of the four Bauer siblings, are sent to live in the home of Doctor Heileman near Fargo, ninety miles from the place her parents have found jobs and temporary shelter. Upon her arrival in the Heileman home, Tressa must deal with her new reality. In exchange for their room and board, Tressa and Will become domestic servants in a formerly genteel home that has been ravaged by dust storms. Tressa quickly realizes that the mentally ill Mrs. Heileman is unable to cope with her domestic duties or care for her two year old son, Ben. In addition, Tressa must contend with Claire, the Heileman's daughter who is near Tressa's age but is unkind to her from the start. Tressa longs for nothing more than to leave this place and be reunited with her parents. "I didn't sleep that night. I swayed between silent fits of rage and fear gripped me so hard that my breathing became labored. Why would God do this to us? I wondered. Ma always said God had a plan. What kind of cruel plan is this?" While readers of all ages will be drawn to the storyline and personalities presented in The Green Coat, teachers of middle school readers should specifically consider using the text to compliment language arts and social studies curricula. Author McDunn, an experienced educator, has provided an excellent educational resource at the conclusion of the book. For each chapter, a broad cross section of vocabulary words and relevant reflection and discussion questions are provided. An additional section looks at effective tools of figurative language and provides a "treasure hunt" for young readers to spot examples of this literary t

Heartwarming Story for All Ages!

History comes alive and captures our hearts in Rosemary McDunn's novel, The Green Coat. Glimpses of life during the Dust Bowl era of the 1930's are skillfully woven into the tale of a family devastated by its fury. The reader journeys with twelve year old Tressa, who, along with her brother, are forced to be separated from their parents. Though struggling with fear and loneliness, Tressa finds a deep inner strength to meet the many challenges she faces at a young age. The story is colored with wonderful detail and descriptive language that make it educational and inspiring. Readers of all ages will truly enjoy this heartwarming story, and find it to be a tribute to the power of the human spirit.

A hearwarming tale of family struggles

Ms. McDunn's wonderful tale of a young brother and sister that were sent away from home for financial reasons tugs at the heart. Ms. McDunn's literary style creates vivid images of life during the most trying times in midwest American history and re-ignites a yearning for the family values of self-sacrifice and action for the common good that are often missing in modern families. This book is an excellent read for both middle school readers and adults. Ms. McDunn, please tell us more about these remarkable siblings.

Captivating Tale of the Dust Bowl Era

In her first novel, The Green Coat, Rosemary McDunn captures the struggles of a typical family during the tumultuous Dust Bowl period of American history. Through the eyes of Tressa, a twelve year old girl, the reader feels the anguish of a family separated in their quest for survival during this historical event. With her rich use of figurative language Mrs. McDunn helps her reader to understand the joys, sufferings, faith and determination of a people trying to cope and make sense of nature's fury. Children and adults will enjoy this story that celebrates the human condition. Hopefully this book will be one of many novels by Mrs. McDunn about this engaging character and her family.