Reviews

Ruby's Hope: A Story of How the Famous “Migrant Mother” Photograph Became the Face of the Great Depression by Sarah Dvojack, Monica Kulling

kayelletea's review against another edition

4.0

313/365

erine's review against another edition

An imagined story behind the scenes of the Migrant Mother photograph. On one hand, there is a true story available I think, that could have been told. On the other, this picture book addresses some of the limitations of imagination when it comes to interpreting primary sources. A photograph can tell us a lot about the circumstances around which it was taken, but it cannot provide a backstory for its subject nor the history of the photographer. This story reveals the limitations of that interpretation.

Children and mothers seem to be the first affected and the last helped in any crisis. This story highlights the suffering of a particular fictional family, and showcases the tragedy of any crisis response that does not take sufficient care of the struggling families.

adelas's review against another edition

3.0

illustrations are nice, story is relatable, but the vocab doesn't always fit the audience (eg first page says the stock market crashed)

bethmitcham's review

4.0

Interesting historical book about a famous picture from the Great Depression, but the details are made up. I liked how dirty everyone's feet were throughout the book.

debnanceatreaderbuzz's review

5.0

Ruby and her family have to leave their home in Oklahoma. Everything has dried up, everything except the hope of Ruby's mother.

But when the family arrives in California, the pea crop has frozen and their car is out of gas. What will happen to the family now?

Along comes a photographer who takes a picture of Ruby and her mother, and hope is alive again.

It's the story of the famous "Migrant Mother" photo.