Voices of the Dust Bowl

Gr 3–6—In this third volume in Garland's "Voices" series, 16 individuals describe life during the drought and resulting dust storms on the Great Plains that lasted from 1931 until 1940. Watercolor spreads feature a portrait of the "speaker" in his/her own environment on one side and a short narrative in poetic prose on the other. These are labeled with a date and location, e.g., "1919—Western Kansas"; "Mid-1930—Oklahoma"; "1937—Texas Panhandle"-and arranged chronologically. An old warrior remembers the buffalo herds that roamed the prairie of his youth; a "sodbuster" shows off his "fields of waving gold" (wheat); a banker closes up shop after the stock market crash; schoolmarm, farmer's wife, and nurse relate the awful effects of dust storms, especially on the children; a hobo rides the rails looking for work; a U.S. conservation agent teaches FDR's anti-erosion measures to farmers; a nine-year-old sees her first rainstorm in 1940. Bonnie Parker and Dorothea Lange have their say, as well. Hierstein's paintings are artistically pleasing and informative; the sadness and deep concern on most people's faces reflect the somber mood of the time. A two-page historical note is appended to this well-researched introductory piece. Two other informational titles for the same age group are Allison Lassieur's The Dust Bowl: An Interactive History Adventure (Capstone, 2009) and Sue Vander Hook's The Dust Bowl (ABDO, 2009).—Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH