RUBY'S HOPE
A Story of How the Famous “Migrant Mother” Photograph Became the Face of the Great Depression
by Monica Kulling ; illustrated by Sarah Dvojack
Kulling and Dvojack bring the migrant history of the Oklahoma Dust Bowl to life for young readers.
A young girl and her family navigate hard times after the stock market crash of 1929. Food on Ruby’s farm is scarce, but that doesn’t mean she wants to leave it. She loves the big sky above her family land and is devastated when drought forces her parents to load up their car and take her and her siblings to California. Like many Midwesterners, they must work as migrant field hands, picking lettuce in exchange for food. Illustrations dominated by grays and sepia capture the dry wasteland as well as the etched lines of worry on the farmers’ faces. Even a flat tire can be dangerous in a time of extreme poverty, and the author creates a satisfying depiction of people sharing what little they have in migrant camps. The book turns on an added element of history when a photographer arrives at Ruby’s makeshift community and decides to photograph her mother. The presence of the iconic photo entitled “Migrant Mother” lends a metaliterary element to the story as the author imagines the photographer recording history. An endnote on Roosevelt’s handling of the crisis adds to the book’s appeal.
The eyes of a loving daughter make a compassionate lens for this moving story.
(bibliography) (Picture book. 6-10)