Module 10 - Dandelions

 Courtesy of barbsbooks.com

Book Summary:   
"Dandelions" is a book about a young family moving west to the Nebraska Territory.  It discussse the mother's and daughter's  fears of the unknown while the father seeks to reassure them.  Their closest neighbor was hours away, and the nearest town was so far that they had to spend the night when going to town for goods.  The only way they could have water was to dig a well by hand.  It was a time when the weather was hot, the work was hard, and the rewards were earned.
APA Reference:

Bunting, E. (1995). Dandelions. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace and Company.

My Impressions: 
This book offers an accurate accounting of what people endured during the westward movement. It allows
the reader a clear view of how wide open the area was.  People didn't live down the block; they lived hours
away from anyone.  The illustration, by Greg Shed, are very realistic.  I really like the end of the book when
the girls are trying to make their mother feel better.  They take a dandelion that she had picked up on the way
home from town and plant it in the roof of the home to surprise their mother.  This is a book I would
recommend to my students.

Professional Review:

 This is the story of a family moving from Illinois to Nebraska during the westward migrations in the United States. They travel across the plains in a covered wagon pulled by oxen, the father in search of a better life and opportunities for his family, and the wife and two daughters experiencing the emotions of leaving home, family, and memories behind. The dandelions are a metaphor for this family that endures the hardship of change and moves west to build a better life. CU: The book is an excellent springboard to make connections to social studies and the American westward migration. Students can write journal entries of what the children felt as they traveled west. They can draw maps identifying the possible routes the family took or write personal narratives of times in their own lives when they had to leave friends and memories to move to new places.

 

Professional Review Reference:
Mitchell, M. (1996). Dandelions. The Reading Teacher, 50(3), 244.

Library Uses:

This would be a good book to use when highlighting illustrators.  The librarian could read this book to students and show the pictures as he/she goes.  When the book is over, the students could draw their own pictures to tell what think the trip would have been like. 

Another use would be to use this book in groups with new students.  Moving can be a scary experience and this book helps to show that people have dealt with moving into new situations for years.