The Great American Dust Bowl by Don Brown

Hardcover, 80 pages

Published October 8th 2013 by HMH Books for Young Readers

A speck of dust is a tiny thing. In fact, five of them could fit into the period at the end of this sentence.

On a clear, warm Sunday, April 14, 1935, a wild wind whipped up millions upon millions of these specks of dust to form a duster—a savage storm—on America's high southern plains.

The sky turned black, sand-filled winds scoured the paint off houses and cars, trains derailed, and electricity coursed through the air. Sand and dirt fell like snow—people got lost in the gloom and suffocated . . . and that was just the beginning.

Don Brown brings the Dirty Thirties to life with kinetic, highly saturated, and lively artwork in this graphic novel of one of America's most catastrophic natural events: the Dust Bowl.

 
What an amazing graphic novel!!!  Not only were the illustrations fantastic, but the information was presented in such a way that you learned so much without even realizing it. I love learning new things, and this book left me wanting to research more about the Dust Bowl and the impact it had on our country. Definitely a great addition to my classroom library!

Teaching Ideas:

For Science:
This book is a great way to discuss plate tectonics, the environmental impact of the Dust Bowl, and the recent Dust Bowl impact from 2012 and other droughts. Students will be able to learn about the environmental impact from the Dust Bowl on daily life of both humans and animals alike and could do further research on what implications a Dust Bowl of that size could have on today's society.  

For Social Studies:
This is a great book to discuss life during the Great Depression and what impact the Dust Bowl had in the lives of Americans. This would be a great book to begin a research project on the life during the Depression for the different parts of the United States as well. 

Possible research questions:
Did the Dust Bowl impact all of America? 
What are the major differences between those areas impacted by the Dust Bowl and those who weren't impacted?

For ELA:
This book would be a fantastic introduction before teaching Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. The background knowledge the students will gain will allow them visualize the events of the novel which is a fantastic novel! 


Happy reading!!