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Hardships
Hardships > disasters
Hardships > disasters > natural disasters
    American Plague, An
      Subtitled "The True and Terifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793," this account focuses on the 1793 outbreak in Philadelphia but also addresses the politics of medical research. It won several awards.
      Author: Murphy, Jim HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Ashfall
      Alex, fifteen, was left alone in Cedar Falls, Iowa, for the weekend while his father, mother and sister, traveled to Illinois to visit an uncle. Then the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash and violenc
      Author: Mullin, Mike HSE Descriptors: social studies | science | language arts - reading

    Blizzard!
      This book tells the story of an amazing blizzard that struck the Eastern U.S. in March, 1888. The author tells how the storm affected individuals, workers, communication, transportation, and more. The book is illustrated with vintage photographs and maps
      Author: Murphy, Jim HSE Descriptors: social studies | science

    Bodies from the Ash:Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii
      With the help of detailed photographs, the author describes how historical fact is established by excavating and reconstructing the volcanic site of Pompeii.
      Author: Deem, James M. HSE Descriptors: science | social studies

    Eye of the Storm
      A storm chaser discusses the techniques, dangers, and difficulties of photographing lightning, tornadoes, and hurricanes.
      Author: Kramer, Stephan HSE Descriptors: science

    Hurricanes
      This story of hurricanes in the 20th Century--how they form, how scientists study them, how people prepare for them--is illustrated with photographs, diagrams, and maps and contains a list of books for further reading.
      Author: Lauber, Patricia HSE Descriptors: science

    Selvakumar Knew Better
      Based on a true story, the book tells of a dog named Selvakumar who saved a South Indian boy from drowning during the tsunami of 2004.
      Author: Kroll, Virginia HSE Descriptors: social studies | science

    Thunderstorm
      A wordless book that follows a storm through Mid-western farm country with only the times listed of the storm.Thunderstorm is a valuable, breathtaking insight into one of the Mid-west's most natural occurrences.
      Author: Geisert, Arthur HSE Descriptors: science | language arts - writing

    Time of Wonder
      This picture book tells a factual story of a family living along the ocean in Maine and what happens to the area when a hurricane brews. It is told to a child reader, and the art is fairly primitive, and thus teachers will want to take care to present it
      Author: McCloskey, Robert HSE Descriptors: science

Hardships > disasters > natural disasters > drought
    Angels in the Dust
      A poignant story of a family living in the Dust Bowl trying to make ends meet.
      Author: Raven, Margot Theis HSE Descriptors: science | social studies

    Children of the Great Depression
      With the aid of archival photographs from The Farm Security Administration, Freedman tells the poignant story of the humiliation, poverty, migration, lack of schooling, and back-breaking work faced by children during the Great Depression of the 1930's in
      Author: Freedman, Russell HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Drylongso
      Drylongso, which takes place west of the Mississippi in 1975, is the story of a poor farming family's battle with a drought. Drylongso, "a youth imbued with simple human kindness . . . a folk hero" (author's notes) arrives, and with him comes ho
      Author: Hamilton, Viginia

    Fish
      The story of the difficult and dangerous journey a family must make out of a country hit with drought and civil unrest. The story is told from the point of view of the family's youngest member who decides to take a live fish on the journey.
      Author: Matthews, L. S. HSE Descriptors: literature and arts | social studies

    Hoover Dam
      This book tells the story of why and how the Hoover Dam was built during the Great Depression with interviews of people who worked on the dam. Illustrations depict the engineering challenges faced by the builders.
      Author: Mann, Elizabeth HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Out of the Dust
      Set in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl years of the Depression, this powerful book tells in unobtrusive blank verse the story of personal tragedy and community hardship through the experiences of Billy Jo, a 15-year-old girl. The book is so credible that
      Author: Hesse, Karen HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies

    Skylark
      This is the sequel to the award-winning Sarah, Plain and Tall. When a drought forces Sarah and the children to leave the farm, leaving Jacob behind, everyone wonders if they will ever be a family again.
      Author: MacLachlan, Patricia HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading

Hardships > disasters > natural disasters > fire
    American Safari, An
      Award-winning wildlife photographer Jim Brandenburg shows and tells the story of the American prairies, which once swept for thousands of miles but are now an endangered ecological treasure. The stunning photographs and unforgettable written memories ins
      Author: Brandenburg, Jim HSE Descriptors: science

    Fire in Their Eyes
      Color photographs and lively text follow a group of special wildfire firefighters called "hotshots" through training to their drop by parachute into wildfire zones.
      Author: Biel, Karen HSE Descriptors: science

    Great Fire, The
      By weaving personal accounts from survivors together with carefully researched history, Jim Murphy constructs a riveting narrative that recreates the great Chicago fire with drama and immediacy. Authentic photos and drawings complement the text.
      Author: Murphy, Jim HSE Descriptors: social studies

    John Blair and the Great Hinckley Fire
      This is a retelling of the effects of a firestorm in 1894 on a train and its 150+ passengers. John Blair, the train's porter, became a hero for his common sense and bravery in the face of extraordinary danger.
      Author: Nobisso, Josephine HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Summer of Fire: Yellowstone 1988
      This book chronicles the 1988 fire at Yellowstone National Park and the fire's after-effects. Many stunning photographs accompany the well written text.
      Author: Lauber, Patricia HSE Descriptors: science

    Wildfire
      This beautiful and thoroughly researched book provides a comprehensive look at wildfires. Causes and ways to control them, both historical and current, are highlighted. The book contains a bibliography and glossary.
      Author: Morrison, Taylor HSE Descriptors: social studies | science

    Wildfires
      Interesting text and stunning photographs tell what happens with wildfires and why they are important in the cycle of life, death, and renewal.
      Author: Simon, Seymour HSE Descriptors: social studies | science

    Year of Fire, The
      Grandpa tells granddaughter about the worst fire he has ever known, a fire that happened when the grandfather was a child. (based on a true story)
      Author: Jam, Teddy

Hardships > disasters > natural disasters > flood
    A. D., New Orleans After the Deluge
      This graphic novel originates in the personal involvement of the writer/artist in Hurricane Katrina, contributing seven vivid, authentic voices to enrich our understanding of this national disaster. Juxtaposed alongside the images we saw on television as
      Author: Neufeld, Josh HSE Descriptors: social studies

    A. D., New Orleans After the Deluge
      This graphic novel originates in the personal involvement of the writer/artist in Hurricane Katrina, contributing seven vivid, authentic voices to enrich our understanding of this national disaster. Juxtaposed alongside the images we saw on television as
      Author: Neufeld, Josh HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Flood
      As Sarajean and her family prepare for and deal with the devastating Midwest floods of 1993, they discover what is truly important during a time of trouble.
      Author: Calhoun, Mary

    Kate Shelley: Bound for Legend
      This is the story of a 15-year-old girl who helped prevent a train disaster in 1881.
      Author: San Souci, Robert D. HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Kinderdike
      In this dramatically illustrated book, a Dutch town is flooded and mostly destroyed, although one child in a cradle and a cat are found after the flood waters recede. Together people work to rebuild and name the town Kinderdike (kinder=child in Dutch).
      Author: Fisher, Leonard Everett HSE Descriptors: social studies

    Ninth Ward
      This is a powerful reenactment of the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and how it affected the poor section of the ninth ward. The hurricane and subsequent levee failure come to life through the eyes of a twelve year old special girl. The voi
      Author: Rhodes, Jewell Parker HSE Descriptors: language arts - reading | social studies | science

    Noah's Ark
      Well-known author-illustrator Jerry Pinkney retells the story of Noah and the ark that survives the flooding of the earth in a simple narrative and wonderfully detailed pictures.
      Author: Pinkney, Jerry


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