The Storm in The Barn

 Bibliography: Phelan, Matt. 2009. THE STORM IN THE BARN. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763636180

Plot Summary: This is the story about a boy named Jack who finds himself trying to fight off bullies, and what appears to be some kind of person. As the story goes along, Jack lives in a small Kansas town, where everyone knows each other and they think highly of Jack. Except Jack gets caught in a cloud of dust and he chose to head home instead of sheltering in town. This makes his father quite upset because the family is dealing with Jack’s sister who is sick. The town doctor tells Jack’s father to watch him because he may have dust dementia; memory loss the is caused by inhaling too much dust.  Jack overheard the comment and thinks nothing of it. Jack has heard the stories about how the land use to be great until the rain stopped. He even heard stories about a boy who was strong and stopped the dust from hanging around the town. All Jack knew was that there was something to someone in the barn. Eventually, Jack goes back to explore the old barn that is on neighboring property and decides to explore it. He finally finds the eerie thing and goes on to fight and defeat it.

Critical Analysis: Matt Phelan writes and illustrates a story that centers around The Dust Bowl: a event where the Southern Plains was wracked with drought. No rain had fallen for a long time (10 years). Through the illustrations, Mr. Phelan brings to life a villain that represents the lost rain.  He tells the story of people in a small town in Kansas and how their lives had changed because of this environmental and economic event. Creating the character, Jack as the central figure and who the readers learn about what has happened; Mr. Phelan does a good job of capturing the time period, how a young boy, Jack, carries himself, and how the people of the town feel and think.  Mr. Phelan tells of The Dust Bowl experience and what is was like but he takes care to not let it overshadow the storyline.  Through the use of Jack listening to his mother recount what it was like growing up on the land they live on and listening to the stories of the shop keeper, we are able to gain just enough information about this pivotal time in history. The illustrations which are sketches created by Mr. Phelan are detailed and allow the reader to imagine what the area looked liked during that time.

Review Excerpt(s)

Publishers Weekly: “The big novelty here is the Dust Bowl setting, and Phelan's art emphasizes the swirling, billowing clouds of fine grit that obscure even nearby objects.”

Kirkus Reviews (starred): “The pencil-and-watercolor panels are cinematically framed and often wordless, advancing the plot and delineating character with careful strokes. The bleakness of the Dust Bowl comes through in both the landscape and the hopeless faces of his characters. This is not to be missed.”

Connections:

This story can be used a read-aloud for introducing other types of graphs novels to students aside from the funny tales they enjoy reading.

For students studying American History this is a good story to share as a moment in talking about agriculture and commerce.

Here are a few websites that provide facts and information on The Dust Bowl.

Dust Bowl. HISTORY.COM EDITORS UPDATED: AUG 5, 2020 ORIGINAL: OCT 27, 2009 www.pbs.org THE DUST BOWL A FILM BY KEN BURNS

www.brittanica.com Dust Bowl: Duration, Effects, and, Facts

This review are my own words and are part of a graduate studies class at Sam Houston State University.