Dust for Dinner (I Can Read Book - Level 3)

Set in the Dust Bowl era of the Midwest, this is an excellent book for today's young readers. Before there were tech and housing bubbles, there was the Dust Bowl. A period where drought took over and the wind kept blowing dry air for years. The agricultural regions of the Midwest had many families that depended on farming to make a living. When it collapsed from drought, the families had to auction off their land and possessions and move out West to find work and start a new life. This book follows the tale of one family that had to make difficult decisions to stay together and develops the role of each family member as the story unfolds.

I featured this book in my 4th grade class's unit on "How We Came to California." It was the best book that told about the journey of many families to the Golden State during the Dust Bowl Days because it included why they left, how they came and the struggle once they got here. To make it even more special, my grandmother came to read it to the students because she lived in CA during this time and helped the people who came to her town from Oaklahoma and Kansas. Having an elder read it to the kids was the most memorable thing to many of the kids who simply did not know about this period of their family's history.

Good for kids who are about ready for chapter books

GOOD BOOK

Kids(3-9 years old) love this true to life book despite the ups and downs of the subject. Fantastic Illustrations.

this book is a level 3 which in a different publisher's step system would have been for grades 1-3 while this is for 2-4.. not a huge difference but something to note..book seems nice

My youngest son is 7 and he can't stop reading this book. He loves it!

I loved this book and liked that it helps young children understand this part of American history.

Even with use of a simple vocabulary the author manages to hold the reader's interest. The theme of family was appealing to my daughter and she was fascinated to learn that the tale was based on the true life experiences. So this book offers both entertainment and education.

Beautiful story. My son loves t a lot and we read the book 3 to 4 times every other night