Children of the Great Depression

I thought this was an excellent introduction to the Depression years for younger readers. Russell Freedman writes in a straightforward style and nicely avoids contractions ('did not' instead of 'didn't') popping up throughout his text. There are two stories in these pages, the Depression and life in the Thirties and the same years as they relate to children, so there are chapters devoted to 'In and out of school', 'Kids at work' and 'Boxcar kids' for example. What really makes the book come alive for me are the excellent photos, all with captions including the date and photographer. Virtually all of them are from the now famous FSA files in the Library of Congress. Russell Lee, Dorothea Lange, Arthur Rothstein and Ben Shahn have the most and they perfectly work with the text. As well as great photos the design of the book is simple and elegant with the photos printed in a sepia green, there is a bibliography and index. Another worthwhile childrens book about the same period is 'Welcome to Kit's world: 1934. Growing up during America's Great Depression' (ISBN 158485359X) beautifully designed with the story told as extended captions to the hundreds of photos and period graphics. This title is really aimed at young girls. For a photobook of FSA children images have a look at 'Children of the Depression (ISBN 0253340314) a large format, one photo to a page book that probably has the best of what is available from the files. This book is mentioned in the bibliography of 'Children of the Great Depression' All three books explore the lives of children in hard times with sympathetic words and powerful pictures. ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.