Cimarron Girl
The Dust Bowl Years of Abigail Brubaker

by Mike Blanc



Vanita Books

Children's Fiction , History

Pub Date 01 Jun 2016



I am reviewing a copy of Cimmaron Girl through Vanita Books and Netgalley:



Cimarron Girl: The Dust Bowl Years of Abigail Brubaker is a fictionalized telling of a young Abby’s memories of the Dust Bowl, on their family farm located in Cimmaron Oklahoma.


The first person account tells of key events throughout Abby’s early life in the form until the time when conditions got so bad, their family like so many others were forced to leave their homes and look for a better life outside of Oklahoma, it was The Great Depression and things were bad everywhere but in Oklahoma things were far worse, due to the horrific conditions brought on by the Dust Bowl.


Cimaron Girl is a story of loss and challenges, but it is more a story of hope and overcoming despite great obstacles.


I give Cimaron Girl five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

The artwork in this short book is evocative and endearing. Not easy to do with material that features something as jarring as climate-as-the-villian. I enjoyed the story of Abigail and her family needing to leave their home and find a new life, with new jobs and new opportunities. Both my family and my in-law family made the same trek from different parts of the country, right along with all the other Joad-like families (Grapes of Wrath), landing in the beautiful valleys and hot places in California.

The book is aimed at a young audience, and does a great job of a clear overview of a tough time in American history brought on by climate change, on a level that young school kids can understand. Reasons for migrations of whole populations are not always as easily described as this one, and so this feels like an appropriate place to start for that baby geographer, anthropologist, historian, economist, lawyer, sociologist or other specialist of Why Humans Do What They Do.

The story of Abigail reminded me of my terrific grandmothers and grandfathers who braved storms, nature and hardship, and upon whose good choices changed the course of my own path in ways I do not even fully realize.

Thanks to Mike Blanc, Vanita and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

"My thoughts"

This book was exactly what I didn't want it to be, a disappointment.


Things I enjoyed

The Book Cimarron Girl by Mike Blanc was a disappointment, However, I did enjoy two things. first being the illustrations. The Illustrations did really well at representing the sorrow, and harshness of the time. Secondly, I enjoyed the ending of the book that had real pictures of the time. As well as some facts. I believe these resources really help children realize that these things really happened.


Things I didn't like

The use of the first-person point of view in it affected the writing, and the characters. I really would have enjoyed more showing than telling. Such as when Abby tells us that all the girls have to wear flour sack dresses. I feel It would have been great to have a scene where the children talked about the dresses. - pg 10


Another thing is that Abby's first-person perspective felt kind of off. The narrative felt very jolting, one-minute Abby would say something such as it was her birthday. Then Abby would start talking about how they would be moving, and her mom was happy about a school. This was just too hard to follow for me personally and be entertained at the same time. - Pg37


In closing


I was interested in this book originally becuse I have family who moved from Oklahoma to California, during this time period. I wanted so badly to connect with the characters. Sadly this didn't happen. On another note, the publisher had a note that this was the authors first authored book. so if he is still writing. Maybe I would give him another try, but this just isn't the book I was hoping for.


the review will be published on Oct 21st 6 am PST on my blog (www.emilyslittlebooknook.com)

The story concerns the life of Abigail, who was living in Oklahoma during the 1930s, and her experience of the drought that resulted in the area being called 'The Dust Bowl' and her family's emigration to California.

I felt quite short-changed by this book, really. It is fiction, illustrated by library photos and simple drawings. It purports to be written by Abigail, but it just jottings from each year. There is no development of plot or character; what you see is all you get.

Some of the tales were interesting, but overall it is just too sparse and simplistic. It would be fine if it was the diary or reminiscences of a girl, but being fiction, it didn't work for me.

It is very short; I read it in an hour or so. What it describes was fine, there just wasn't enough detail for me. I think even if it is aimed at children, it is too simplistic to be of interest or use.

Thank you to NetGalley and Vanita Books for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this as a read now book through NetGalley to review an ebook of Cimarron Girl written by Mike Blanc.

This book is the type of book I love so much as it’s historical showing the life of a child growing up in different eras, in this book it follows Abigail a child growing up in the 30’s during the Great Depression living on a prairie in Oklahoma during dust bowl years.

My problem with the story was that it didn’t focus on each year long enough, it rushed through her years so quickly. I would really have loved to have gotten to know her better, to have really seen what her life was like fully rather than the quickly rushed story that was there. She went from being five at the start to twelve when we really see her last and it’s missed so much time out and events that would have happened.

I still enjoyed the story and getting to learn about the dust bowl which I only vaguely knew about was still really fun and this era of history has so much to tell as everyone’s lives were so difficult and people really had to help people out as much as they could and the story does show that.

Received this through Net Galley! Also I have multiple sclerosis and profits to to one's who have this disease! This book is family the depression and it was bad enough for the depression but for where you live and on a farm can't grow anything to dust and dust and storms of dust! You can never get it off of you,no amount of water if there is any there is no rain! Families can't feed their children and so many poor go West to see if they can have a better life but find out that everyone else does also and find out when they get there,same thing! No jobs no food living out of camps! Very good story to open your eyes up to now hard these families had it all to you want to do is keep your family together and have some kind of decent life! Very good read!

If I were reviewing this book just for myself, I would probably give it 3 stars. It was interesting, but I didn’t love how it skipped through the years so quickly and almost put rose colored glasses on the Great Depression.

However, it really engaged my 8yo daughter. She begged to read it every day and begged me to read more. Any book that can capture her interest and reinforce her love of reading like that gets 5 stars!

Cimarron Girl; The Dustbowl Year of Abigail Brubackier by Mike Blanc

This book is a historical look at the dust bowl years through the eyes of a young lady named Abigail, who watch her family and community coop with the drought in Oklahoma which turn her family's farm as well as neighboring farms into one large dustbowl. This was a dark time in our country where farmers struggled to make ends meet and hold onto their farms.

Abigail is the perfect device by expressing the view of one person, relating the experience of the start of this part of our history. She notes how one of her classmates had died in a dust storm. She gave an account of how dust invaded their home, every nook and cranny. She also express her feelings when her father packed them in a car after the decision to abandon the farm and move to California. She also tells of her experience at the migrant camps where the family stopped at on their way to California.

This is a very enjoyable book for the younger set, illustrated and ready to give a peek into Oklahoma dust bowl years.

Cimarron Girl
The Dust Bowl Years
Of Abigail Brubaker
by Mike Blanc

Beautiful historical look at the infamous drought in Oklahoma . Written through the eyes of a young girl during the Great Depression. This book offers a bonus section with a timeline of events that caused the infamous Drought

I received this as a complimentary copy for an honest review

I didn't realize this was a child's book,when I agreed to Read and review.
My 8 yr.old grandson enjoyed the pictures and we read it together.
Have read several books on the Oklahoma dust bowl storms and this book represented it well.
Thanks to Netgalley and Publisher for the opportunity to Read and review "Cimarron.Girl" by Mike Blanc.

This book was a delight to read. It's an eye account of a young girl experiencing the Dust Bowl and the Depression. The book is actually targeted towards young children. The kids will understand the book and its history . The illustrations are wonderful along with the actual photos from that era. It will have the children interested and have them ask more questions about the book.

I recommend this book to any kids and parents.



I'd give it a low 4 star from Vania Books through Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review Thank you!

I was drawn to this story by the Dust Bowl theme. After reading it, I had to go back and do a bit of research on the Dust Bowl. I think it's a very good book for 4th grade up. I'm not sure history includes the Dust Bowl, as it did back in my day, but it could enlighten a few children as to what can happen when Mother Nature is abused. maybe they cover it in science now days?? Should worth at least a couple days study, I'd think., what with climate change. Good, easy and quick read.

2.5/5
I love picture books, and this was no different. The illustrations are minimal, yet convey each situation beautifully.

The story is shown from the perspective of Abigail, a girl child who is living with her family & pets in Oklahoma. What happens, and how their life changes after a dust bowl hits the location.

At the end we can see that the story is just not a story, but also shows family living in such conditions goes through a lot, and how people around them in return treat them.
The end also shows us the events and how the United states went under this disaster.

Another small picture book with a young person’s perspective of an historical event in the USA.
This is the story of Abbey who lives on an Oklahoma small holding with her Mum, Dad, Dog Penny and Horse Sienna.
Life becomes increasingly hard for the family when drought hits the region and the harvest diminishes and crops fail.
Due to the whole area given over to intensive farming the wind was able to blow unrestricted across the effective states creating dust storms. The air was a choking mass of dark top soils, dried out on the parched earth and captured by the winds.
This period in American history also coincided with the economic depression of the 1930s and many farmers fled their homes to seek better lives.
Abby the Cimarron Girl, relates her families tenuous hold onto their farm and paints a childlike view of poverty and neighbourly hospitality.
The story of her tight shoes is a delight.
This book is a triumph in delivering an insight into a dark period of American history. Told with the best aspects of community spirit. Not quite so evident when Abby’s family is forced to become refugees in their own country.
Here we could learn about our own attitudes to foreigners and asylum seekers. So this book can have a lasting meaning for all who encounter the poor, homeless and displaced. It will live with me for a long time and it has educated me into historical events and challenged me regarding current affairs.

Life in the Dust Bowl was a daily struggle...

Mike Blanc brings a fantastic journey through the eyes of a young girl as her family fights through the Dust Bowl that has settled over the midwest. Farms and families alike struggled to make ends meet while they continually prayed and hoped for rain. Many made the decision to stick it out, but many left their areas in search of a new life.

This books walks through the heartbreaks and the triumphs of the Dust Bowl, and one families adventure as they do their best to navigate and survive the drought.

Perfect for boys and girls alike - this book is fun and full of amazing pictures and tidbits of information! Happy Reading!

Dust Bowl and the years of the Drought....

I had no idea about how much Oklahoma and many other states suffered during the years of the drought! As a matter of fact I was not aware of the drought itself. I new about the big depression that stroke the US in the 1930s, how can one not know? It was of the most difficult eras in our world's history. Knowing now what I know about the drought, I can understand how much it affected the depression years.

The story is told as a young girl's memoir from those days. Even so, and given that the audience is children, the narration is really powerful and really transfers the needed messages.

I great read for children, not only to learn their history, but also the virtues of this Cimarron Girl!

3 STARS
(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY)
(Review Not on Blog)

This is a children's chapter book about a young girl's experience during the Dust Bowl years. I liked that the story was set during the Dust Bowl years but it was really short and felt like an outline of a novel rather than a novel.

Even though this a childrens book I was drawn to it since I have a deep love for books from that time period. This book is about Abigail and her story starts in 1925 in Oklahoma. It goes through the history of how the dust bowl started with the change of the weather and dust storms that took away the top layer of the soil away. Her family struggled but soon had to leave behind Oklahoma to California. It recounts their journey and the courage it took to take on such a change in those times. I really enjoyed this book and loved that they added a section with a timeline of events explaining the drought and how things changed after that.

A well-written tale with excellent illustrations accompanying that really capture the feel of the dustbowl years through the eyes of a child. The loss, the fear, the hope. There is no overtly-Christian tone or rose-colored glasses, nor is there an overwhelming sense of melancholy. A story both adults and kids can enjoy, with a factual timeline at the end of the book about the dust bowl years.

This little gem gives some insight to living in Oklahoma during the Great Depression and the drought. Very interesting and the illustrations goes very well with the theme of the book.