Susie Wilde (Children's Literature)
This book tells the stories of children of Oklahoma families who migrated to California in the 1930's and 40's. It begins with poignant, vivid and unforgettable descriptions of the hopelessness of their lives before, during, and after their arrival. One person writes of running out of food en route to California. The kids waited for the adults to share the coffee and then took up spoons to eat the coffee grounds. Beaten down by starvation, disease and widespread prejudice, the children turn despair around by building their own school. Ownership and pride give them hope. In the words of one student, "This is what we are now, but it's not what we're going to be." And for most of them, this prophecy proved true. Photo and journalistic documentation combine with a powerful writing style to make this an inspiring, 78-page nonfiction read aloud. 1992, Crown, $15.00 and $15.99. Ages 5 up.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1992)
In his first book, a professor with a specialty in California history recreates experiences like those described in The Grapes of Wrath, in a photo-documentary that follows the "Okies" from Oklahoma to a California so overcrowded with Dust Bowl refugees that jobs were scarce, wages meager, and the local population so horrified by the crowds of hungry, uneducated migrants that violence against them was common. By 1937, somewhat better conditions prevailed in 10 camps built by Roosevelt's Farm Security Administration; still, locals were unwilling to receive Okies in their schools. Stanley details the building of a remarkable school at one camp, largely thanks to the vision of Superintendent of Schools Leo Hart, who leased 10 acres of federal land and some decrepit buildings for $10.00, paid for a truck himself, solicited donations of materials, hired teachers who were willing to teach anything or help out anywhere, and organized staff and children to build the school with their own hands. Much of the curriculum was practical (trades involved in construction; an on-site farm); much was creative (high grades won the privilege of driving an airplane on a runway--or of being allowed to help dig a swimming pool). Stanley makes it clear that successes weren't universal (though by the time the school closed non-Okies were clamoring for admission), but notes the later successes of many Okie graduates. Lucid, dramatic, and splendidly inspiring; based largely on interviews with participants, including Hart; many excellent period photos. Bibliographic note; index. 1992, Crown, $15.00; PLB $15.99. Starred Review. © 1992 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Betsy Hearne (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October 1992 (Vol. 46, No. 2))
Illustrated with some classic black-and-white photographs, this is an equitable blend of background information on the Depression and specifics of a singular school for migrant children in California. Starting with the controversy raised by Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath-which was being banned even as a visionary educator, Leo Hart, was helping "Okies" build and organize their own school-Stanley describes the conditions that turned the Panhandle into a dustbowl, the migrant workers' trials traveling west, their hostile reception in agricultural towns, the prejudice "Okie" children faced in schools that didn't want them, and the work Hart did to educate children from farm-labor camps. Stanley's writing is sturdy but informal, and a bibliographic note attests to the sources he used to research the subject. Short, selective, and readable, positive but not unrealistic, this will bring a bitter phase of U. S. history into clearer focus for young readers. R--Recommended. (c) Copyright 1992, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 1992, Crown, 86p; illus. with photographs, $15.99 and $15.00. Grades 5-8.

Irvy Gilbertson (The Five Owls, September/October 1992 (Vol. 7, No. 1))
This story of the "Okies," poor farmers from Oklahoma who migrated to California in search of jobs and a better future, features the children and their school. Filled with quotes and memories from adults who were children in Weedpatch Camp, the story begins in the Oklahoma Panhandle in the 1930s. Rain stopped falling for four years, crops died, and the wind began to blow. It blew until the sky turned blood-red from 1936 to 1940 and the Panhandle became known as the Great Dust Bowl. Dust filtered into houses and barns, buried chickens, pigs, dogs, and occasionally cattle. Okies lost their homes and their land but not their determination to conquer adversity. Growers in California sent thousands of handbills to Okla-homa and other Dust Bowl states advertising for workers and promising high wages. Hundreds of thousands of devastated farmers moved to Californ-I-A. Thus began the largest migration of people in American history. Endless fields of grapes, vast orchards, cotton, tomatoes, and acres and acres of luscious green greeted the Okies when they arrived. The tragedy was that California had advertised too heavily, and there were more workers than jobs. Okie children starved. California farmers with extra produce set fire to the surplus and burned it rather than giving it to the Okies. John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath, drawing attention to the hardships they faced. The facts in this nonfiction book are presented objectively, but the pathos comes through clearly. Almost singlehandedly Leo Hart, Superintendent of Education in Kern County, altered the future of Okie children in Weedpatch Camp. He helped them find out who they were and where they belonged. Under his leadership the children of Weedpatch built a school for themselves, attended classes, did homework, tended the garden, and learned a trade. It was "their" school, it made them feel special, and they were proud of it. When the people of the surrounding community saw what the Okie children had accomplished, prejudice and discrimination turned into acceptance. This story of a people's perseverance, their refusal to accept poverty, their willingness to work, and their achievement is an encouragement for us today. The success of the project sets an example we would do well to emulate in this era of education bashing. Fifty black-and-white photographs present a visual glimpse of the children, their school, and their enthusiasm. Maps and an index are included, along with an afterword and bibliographic note. This book offers an excellent social studies resource, interesting reading, and an impressive story. 1992, Crown, $15.00. Ages 9 up.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, 1992)
Drawing on a wide range of written sources and personal interviews, Stanley tells of the desperate poverty of farm families who moved from Oklahoma to California to escape the dust storms. The beautifully crafted social history focuses on the children living in Arvin Federal Camp and Leo Hart, the compassionate high-school counselor who undertook the bold enterprise of helping the children build their own school. Bib., ind. Category: Nonfiction. 1992, Crown, 86pp.. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 1: Outstanding, noteworthy in style, content, and/or illustration.