Based on true events in the 1930’s, this book falls into the
nonfiction genre and presents a story that will captivate the readers with its
gritty storyline.
This story is a compelling one about children of homeless
“okie” migrant workers and the school that was built in a farming labor camp
during the Dust Bowl era California. The book presents a dramatic and inspiring
story about mistreatment, lack of
education and the changes that take place when people work together to make
changes (Stanley, 1992) . The book is illustrated with photos
from the Dust Bowl to provide accurate accounts and imagery, making the story
more compelling.
This story falls in to quality nonfiction as the facts are
accurate and complete with a balance of fact and theory, differing in
viewpoints when necessary. The scope is appropriate for its story and for the
readers. It is apparent that the writer used appropriate resources and
expertise to write the book. It is organized in a clearly developed manner
which is presented in a logical sequence while indicating proper facts and
theories. The design and format of the book is reader friendly and attractive,
showing appropriate illustrations (photos) that are placed in a proper fashion.
The writing presents an interesting and enthusiastic way while using
appropriate terminology and rich language to keep the reader engaged (Galda,
Cullinan, & Sipe, 2010, p. 306) .
Questions surrounding the reading of Children of the Dust Bowl could include “How do you think the
children felt by the mistreatment because of their immigration?” “Can you
imagine what life would be like during the Dust Bowl?” “What do you think that
you could do if you lived during the time to increase quality of life?” Since
this is a nonfiction genre of book, response-centered project ideas could
include a newspaper, where the children create a newspaper about the Dust-Bowl,
the School raising; or any other related subjects. They could include
advertisements for items during the 1930’s, as well as including editorials
that would relate to the subject manner. A second project could include recipes
that would reflect the life and times of this novel, where children could do
research to find out what type of ingredients would have been available during
the Dust-Bowl on a farming camp. They could then write an essay about each of
the recipes to explain why they would make a good companion to the novel (Galda,
Cullinan, & Sipe, 2010, p. 351) .
I would recommend this novel to all young readers so they
can see how important it is to have an education, to learn about a historical
event, and to develop their sense of self. It is important for readers to be
able to relate to the story, and this one surrounds a subject that many
children most likely do not know about, making it a valuable read.
References
Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature
and the Child. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cenage Learning.
Stanley, J. (1992). Children of the Dust Bowl: The
True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp. New York: Random House LLC.
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