ANGELS IN THE DUST

Raven's first book for children explores life in the American Dust Bowl of the 1930s as ``Great-grandma Annie'' shares her memories of childhood. Annie lived on an Oklahoma wheat farm, ``where the land reaches out straight as a handshake.'' When the dust storms begin, forcing dirt through the boards and into the family's small house, Annie helps her sister, Bessie, write her name in the dust. That act makes Mama think that ``nothing's so bad that it isn't good for something''—the theme of the book. After Mama dies of dust pneumonia, Annie assumes adult responsibilities: keeping house; soothing Bessie's fears with tales of how Mama, an angel, keeps watch over them; and growing a garden with the aid of an inspired tin-can water pipe. When their dried-to-tinder house burns to the ground, neighbors—also hard- pressed—pledge small sums to help the family get on their feet. An author's note fills in the historical facts, while Essley's full-bleed paintings beautifully capture the reality of a hard- but-hopeful life in a world gone to wind-blown grit. (Picture book. 5-8)