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Dust for Dinner
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.
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.
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
5 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
About the author
Ann Turner
102 books35 followersAnn Turner, also known and published as Ann Warren Turner, is a children's author and a poet.
Ann Turner wrote her first story when she was eight years old. It was about a dragon and a dwarf named Puckity. She still uses that story when she talks to students about writing, to show them that they too have stories worth telling.
Turner has always loved to write, but at first she was afraid she couldn't make a living doing it. So she trained to be a teacher instead. After a year of teaching, however, she decided she would rather write books than talk about them in school.
Turner's first children's book was about vultures and was illustrated by her mother. She has written more than 40 books since then, most of them historical picture books. She likes to think of a character in a specific time and place in American history and then tell a story about that character so that readers today can know what it was like to live long ago.
Ann Turner says that stories choose her, rather than the other way around: "I often feel as if I am walking along quietly, minding my own business, when a story creeps up behind me and taps me on the shoulder. 'Tell me, show me, write me!' it whispers in my ear. And if I don't tell that story, it wakes me up in the morning, shakes me out of my favorite afternoon nap, and insists upon being told."
(from: http://www.eduplace.com/kids/tnc/mtai...)
Ann Turner wrote her first story when she was eight years old. It was about a dragon and a dwarf named Puckity. She still uses that story when she talks to students about writing, to show them that they too have stories worth telling.
Turner has always loved to write, but at first she was afraid she couldn't make a living doing it. So she trained to be a teacher instead. After a year of teaching, however, she decided she would rather write books than talk about them in school.
Turner's first children's book was about vultures and was illustrated by her mother. She has written more than 40 books since then, most of them historical picture books. She likes to think of a character in a specific time and place in American history and then tell a story about that character so that readers today can know what it was like to live long ago.
Ann Turner says that stories choose her, rather than the other way around: "I often feel as if I am walking along quietly, minding my own business, when a story creeps up behind me and taps me on the shoulder. 'Tell me, show me, write me!' it whispers in my ear. And if I don't tell that story, it wakes me up in the morning, shakes me out of my favorite afternoon nap, and insists upon being told."
(from: http://www.eduplace.com/kids/tnc/mtai...)
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 13, 2018
A good account of the Dust Bowl era for children! Some how I missed hearing of it growing up, which is sad, because the devastation and effects were far reaching and lasted many years. Definitely worth the read.
And for you parents, you can read "The Worst Hard Time" by Timothy Egan for more detailed information about the time and the people that lived through it. Also, Ken Burns has an outstanding video called "The Dust Bowl" that is fantastic and includes live footage and interviews with survivors. Older kids would appreciate the video too.
Reading Level: 2nd - 4th grades
Cleanliness: a family dances. The mother hides the family radio even though it should go up for auction with everything else.
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.
And for you parents, you can read "The Worst Hard Time" by Timothy Egan for more detailed information about the time and the people that lived through it. Also, Ken Burns has an outstanding video called "The Dust Bowl" that is fantastic and includes live footage and interviews with survivors. Older kids would appreciate the video too.
Reading Level: 2nd - 4th grades
Cleanliness: a family dances. The mother hides the family radio even though it should go up for auction with everything else.
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.
October 30, 2012
Dust for Dinner by Ann Turner is a historical fiction that is intended for the primary age group. This book is about Jake and his family when the Dust Bowl came through and made them sell their farm. The family goes to California and through the way, try to stay together and survive the Great Depression. I give this book three stars because of the illustrations as well as the theme. I think that this is a great book for children to understand the devastating effects of the Dust Bowl as well as the Great Depression. I love the realistic illustrations through the book that will capture the reader’s attention. This book is also already graded for students in grade 2-4 which helps to make sure that the students who read this book are able to understand all of the words. Most of the pages only have one or two lines which are great because it allows the students really understand the depth that the illustrator put in each picture. I would make sure that the students are aware of the events before reading this book because of course it was sad for them to auction their farm off and try to find jobs so that they can survive. It is good that there is a happy ending to the story because it shows that hard work and sticking together will work out in the end. I think that of course that even though there is more pictures than words, the pictures show the terrible sadness that happened during the Great Depression. I like that this was more of almost a picture book than a real chapter book for students to read, it allows multiple readers to understand the background of the story. I liked that it was a historical fiction book that I could incorporate in multiple grade levels but I still felt that the book was a little dry.
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November 4, 2015
So... it was super hard for me to find a book with an author that has my same initials that my library actually owns. My initials are AT.. if I try to google that, it just thinks I mean "author with initials AT the end of their name" - alas. So finally, I broke down and went to the juvenile section, and came out with this book. It wasn't bad. Good reading actually, and I'd recommend it for level 2 or 3 readers.
Read for my 2015 Reading Challenge - A book written by an author with your same intials.
Read for my 2015 Reading Challenge - A book written by an author with your same intials.
February 2, 2017
(KidLit ED204 category: historical fiction)
"Dust for Dinner" is the story about a family living in the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. The story is told from the point of view of the son, Jake. This book would be appropriate for first and second graders. It is well written and will help readers understand the Dust Bowl conditions in a way that they can easily understand, from the point of view of the child. A good way to teach children about history, weather and migration. The illustrator's paintings help build the mood of this book.
"Dust for Dinner" is the story about a family living in the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. The story is told from the point of view of the son, Jake. This book would be appropriate for first and second graders. It is well written and will help readers understand the Dust Bowl conditions in a way that they can easily understand, from the point of view of the child. A good way to teach children about history, weather and migration. The illustrator's paintings help build the mood of this book.
October 27, 2015
Great for a low level reader for 4th grade dust bowl unit.
February 22, 2015
Good Level 3. Kiddo likes history, so this was a good fit.
June 9, 2020
Genre: Historical Fiction
Grade Level: Primary (2-3)
This story is about the life of a family during the 1930's. It is written in 1st person from a child's point of view. Jake and Maggie discuss what life is like after the Dust Storms of Oklahoma. Their family lost their farm because it didn't rain enough for the crops to grow. They had to move to California to find work. This would be a good book to use in a unit about the Great Depression.
Grade Level: Primary (2-3)
This story is about the life of a family during the 1930's. It is written in 1st person from a child's point of view. Jake and Maggie discuss what life is like after the Dust Storms of Oklahoma. Their family lost their farm because it didn't rain enough for the crops to grow. They had to move to California to find work. This would be a good book to use in a unit about the Great Depression.
January 17, 2022
What a great introduction to a very challenging time for many in American History. This family was down on their luck, but they kept up their spirits and persevered. Because children today often cannot understand true hardships, this book is a great discussion starter around the personal value and self-respect that comes from hardwork.
February 21, 2022
I love these short little history lessons for kids. It gives them a glimpse into something that happened and then they (or me or their teacher) can take it further and give them more information about what happened. This one was about a family moving during the time of the Dust Bowl.
December 21, 2017
Guided reading. Second grade proficient.
May 22, 2018
Very readable and good for read aloud to introduce a very important period in history to K upwards
June 12, 2019
Short account of what life was like during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression.
January 26, 2020
Guided Reading Level: M
May 16, 2023
This story is a great way of introducing the Dust Bowl to elementary age students. It is also a great introduction to the historical fiction genre.
March 31, 2025
A simplified version of the dust bowl for kids. Centered around the two children's own family.
February 17, 2024
When the rain stops coming, the crops stop growing. The winds blow, and dirt covers everything. Then, one day a black blizzard comes- a huge dust storm with lightning. Jake and Maggy’s family takes shelter in their house, but the dirt follows them in and threatens to choke them. Soon after this, the farm and all their possessions are auctioned. Jake, Maggy, and their parents leave the Great Dust Bowl behind and head for California. Along the way, Papa finds whatever jobs he can so they can eat something other than bread and water. Once in California, Jake and Maggy wait each day for their father to return with news that he found a job.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com
April 20, 2012
This book is about a brother and sister named Jake and Maggy. They live on a farm and loved to help their papa on the farm and dance to their moms radio. A dust storm came in and destroyed their crops. Their papa sold the farm and moved their family to California. Jake and Maggy don't know what will happen their, but are happy that their family stays togeather. This book is great for grads 2-4. The pictures are drawn like sketches so it is hard to distinguish all features.This is a good book to help teach a lesson that no matter where you are or what the situation is as long as your family is with you, you are always home.
March 10, 2016
What a wonderful way to teach children about the Dust Bowl and the Depression without scaring them in the process. This is a level 3 I Can Read Book so it's a chapter book with bigger wording.
A little boy and his sister worry about the family and having to 'eat dust' but that is because there is so much dust storms. Their farm gets auctioned off and they have to leave to live in tents as they go to California in search of work. Sometimes it was very hard and they were hungry but in the end they made it.
In the back is a page of "Author's Notes" and she goes on and explains why the Dust Bowl happened and what happened to most of the families. Very well done Ms Turner!
A little boy and his sister worry about the family and having to 'eat dust' but that is because there is so much dust storms. Their farm gets auctioned off and they have to leave to live in tents as they go to California in search of work. Sometimes it was very hard and they were hungry but in the end they made it.
In the back is a page of "Author's Notes" and she goes on and explains why the Dust Bowl happened and what happened to most of the families. Very well done Ms Turner!
January 17, 2010
We have a large collection of historical fiction easy reader's, I'm not sure how popular they are, but I hope to become more familiar with them, so I can recommend them when people ask for historical fiction for young ages.
This book is a very simple tale of a family and the dust bowl, in it some terrible and hard things happen, but they manage to survive and get a job in California.
This book is a very simple tale of a family and the dust bowl, in it some terrible and hard things happen, but they manage to survive and get a job in California.
June 22, 2012
Jake and Maggy’s life is turned upside down when their father loses his job and the farm. They set out for California like many at the time did. This story is about how a family holds on to hope during the Great Depression/Dust Bowl era.
November 28, 2009
London will enjoy this
June 28, 2011
I found this book boring.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews