WPA Guides

"Elevator to residential section on bluffs. Dubuque, Iowa."
by WPA photogragher, John Vachon.
Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection (Library of Congress)LC-USF34- 060475-D.

Blizzard of the Blue Moon offers a great tie-in for an interesting series written as part of the New Deal programs. For clues to help solve the book's mystery, author Mary Pope Osborne introduces the reader to New York City's Guide Book, circa 1938. The children use the guide to help identify landmarks in New York City.

Similar guides were written for every state in the union except Hawaii and Alaska, although there is a guide that disucsses Alaska's territorial areas and attributes. And the guide books were not limited to states. As in the case of New York City, entire volumes were devoted to many individual cities, as well.

Guide books were written from 1935-1941 by local authors. The writers varied in skill level and style and the assorted entries in the guidebooks reflect that fact. When the program was initiated, unemployed writers sought work with the WPA, believing that the salaries provided would fund their personal writing. Many quit the project when they realized the government had a specific idea of what the authors would write. But others, needing the income, signed on.

The state guides are organized into three parts. The first part consists of essays that reflect the mood and essence of each, individual state. In the case of the Iowa guidebook, topics include agriculture, history, religion, commerce and the arts. The second part features essays that describe the largest cities in the state. The third part consists of travel logs where the writer follows a specific path and journals about the cities, sites, restaurants, etc. along the way. One such essay details a trip along Highway 20 that runs through my city, Cedar Falls. The books also include photographs, similar to the one above, that depict the state or city as it was during the 1930's and early 40's.

Guidebooks are an easily accessible resource to use in the study of the WPA programs. Most libraries carry a copy of their state's guide, and perhap some city ones, too. An interesting lesson plan consists of securing a guide for your area. Have students read different sections of the guide. Look for photographs of familiar landmarks. Compare them to photographs of the same landmark, today. How have they changed? Or stayed the same.

Another idea is to pick a particular topic and see if what was written about the topic matches the reality of today. For example, back in the 30's, Iowa had a large horse population, nearly one to every three humans. This was due to the fact that horses were still widely used in fieldwork. Of course, that isn't true today. But it gives an interesting perspective of how life has changed and evolved.

Check out your own city or state's WPA Guide and see what memories you can discover.

Becky

Blizzard of the Blue Moon

I read Blizzard of the Blue Moon with great delight. It’s number 36 in the popular “Magic Tree House” series. I must admit, it had been years since I read any books from this collection. My youngest daughter was an avid fan and she introduced me these stories, which, I, too, fell in love with. My personal favorite: Sunset of the Sabertooth. My daughter's favorite is Mummies in the Morning.

Blizzard of the Blue Moon’s setting is New York during 1938. As with all the books in this series, the main characters, siblings Jack and Annie, are on a mission – in this case, to save a unicorn. The great thing about this book, in relation to the depression era, is Sal Murdocca’s illustrations and the unique way author, Mary Pope Osborne, weaves history into her suspenseful plot.

Murdocca comments at the end of the book how much he enjoyed illustrating this book - and it shows. His illustrations capture the essence of the era with period automobiles, cityscapes and Central Park. I especially enjoyed the beautiful drawing of Belvedere Castle that factors into the story. I was unfamiliar with the building and enjoyed learning about its history. My family and I plan a visit to New York this summer. The last time I went, I wanted to see the Bethesda Fountain. This time, I’ll make a point of seeing the castle.

Ms. Osborne mixes an interesting combination of fact and fiction. As the children find themselves wondering around New York City on their quest to find the unicorn, they follow a path that takes them to various NYC landmarks. They start their journey in Central Park where they stumble upon the castle mentioned above. They witness soup lines and people wrapped in newspaper trying to stay warm while on route to the Bronx Zoo. There is a subway ride and a taxi ride before they end up at the ‘Cloisters of the Metropolitan Museum’ where she offers a subtle history lesson on the collection of art and artifacts housed there. Another place I hope to visit when I travel to NYC.

Here is the link to the publisher's fun website where readers can learn more about this and all the “Magic Tree House” books:http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/magictreehouse/

and check out author Mary Pope Osborne's great website: http://www.marypopeosborne.com/

Osborne, Mary Pope, Blizzard of the Blue Moon. Illus. Sal Murdocca. New York : Random House, 2006. (0-375-83037-5)