Jake and Maggy lived on a farm where they loved to sing and dance to the music from Mama's radio. Then terrible dust storms came and ruined the land. The family had no choice but to auction off the farm and make the long, hard journey west to California-away from the dust storms, where the land is still green.Along the way, Papa tries to find work, and Jake and Maggy try to help too. But what if Papa can't find a job? What if California isn't better after all?Ann Turner's dramatic story about the dust bowl, set during the Great Depression and beautifully captured in Robert Barrett's paintings, shows how one family stays together during difficult times.

Ann Turner is the author of many acclaimed novels, picture books, and poetry collections, among them the novel A Hunter Comes Home, an ALA Notable Children's Book; Rosemary's Witch, a School Library Journal Best Book; and her two poetry books, A Lion's Hunger and Learning to Swim, both ALA Best Books for Young Adults. Ann Turner's historical picture books include Abe Lincoln Remembers, an NCSS/CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies; When Mr. Jefferson Came to Philadelphia; Drummer Boy; and Nettie's Trip South. Among her other picture books are Through Moon and Stars and Night Skies, a Reading Rainbow selection, and Dakota Dugout, an ALA Notable Children's Book. Ms. Turner lives in Williamsburg, Massachusetts, with her husband and two children.