I read a very good book recently by Jerry Stanley. It is called Children of the Dust Bowl. It is a true account of families who were farmers in Oklahoma during the Depression of the 1930’s and then after a large drought dust storms came and blew away the top soil. Many families decided to pack up belongings and move to California where they could work harvesting crops. But the migration was too much and the “Okies” soon became hated by Californians.
This book is a true account of “Okie” children that were able to help build the school in a camp where they lived. A man named Leo Hart is the hero of this real life story. The book and movie, Grapes of Wrath, is good use along with Stanley’s book.
Here’s a website that tells of the area where the school existed. Check out the pictures of the author, Jerry Stanley.