Title:
Rudy Rides the Rails: A Depression Era Story
Author:
Dandi Daley Mackall
Illustrator:
Chris Ellison
Publishing
Company: Sleeping Bear Press
Copyright
Date: 2007
#
of Pages: 36
Genre/Category:
Historical Fiction
I chose this book because I find the
Great Depression very interesting. Rudy is a teenage boy that is dealing with
taking care of his family during the Great Depression. Since there is no work
to be found, he decides to head West with only $2.10. The story tells about
what it would have been like to be a hobo during the Depression. It also
explains the symbols the hobos would use to tell each other where to find work,
food, or a safe camp. Rudy works odd jobs and sends what he can home to his
family. He eventually makes it to California, and he decides it is time for him
to head back home where he belongs.
The illustrations in Rudy Rides
the Rails are very realistic. I think that the illustrations were done
using acrylic paints. The characters faces are distinct, while the backgrounds
may fade. The illustrator uses this to draw your eye to the main focus of the
page. On one page, the characters are fuzzy, but the symbol drawn by a hobo
stands out. The illustrator also uses warm colors throughout the book to
express how people felt during the depression.
This book has difficult words and
difficult concepts in it, so I would suggest using it with older students ages
10-14. This book would be a good way to begin a discussion about the hardships
of the Great Depression. I think it would be a good book to use to compare
yourself with the main character. Students that are ages 13 and 14 could put
themselves in Rudy’s place and imagine what it would be like to travel across
the United States alone. This book would also be good to use for a geography
lesson. Students could map Rudy’s progress and measure the distance he covered.
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