When the dust storms roar through Jake and Maggy's farm again and again, the crops stop growing and the family has to sell all their possessions and head west to California. When the men come to auction off their belongings, Mama hides her radio so they'll still be able to hear the music. The family piles into their truck and sets forth. Along the way, Papa knocks on doors and the family holds together and hopes that one day they'll have a house and a normal life again. The radio gives them hope and Papa finds a few jobs but when their dog Sam eats a rooster, the farmer says either the dog goes or you go.
64 pages 978-0064442251 Ages 5-8
Keywords; historical fiction, homelessness, Great Depression, American history, 20th century, dogs, family life, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old, 8 year old
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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 after all?
Ann Turner's dramatic story about the dust bowl, set during the Great Depression and beautifully captured in Robert Barrett's paintings, shows how one family stays together during difficult times.---from the publisher