Pappy's Handkerchief

Young Moses and his family are barely scraping by. He helps his father in their fish stall selling each day's catch to passersby but times are hard in 1889 Baltimore. It's difficult to provide for a family of ten. But when they hear of free farmland out in Oklahoma, it sounds like the answer to their prayers. The family sells all they own and heads west to fulfill a lifelong dream. Their wagon journey, however, is plagued with troubles from ice storms and flooded rivers to diminishing supplies and sickness. Yet Moses and his family persevere. They arrive in time to take a place along the boundary line that marks the staging point for the Oklahoma Land Run. But after making it this far, will even more bad luck prevent them from realizing their dream of owning their own piece of America? Evocative paintings and spellbinding storytelling bring the Oklahoma Land Run to vivid life for young readers.

Format List Price Your Price Qty
$17.95 $17.95
$17.95 $17.95
$29.95 $29.95
Interest Level Grade 1 - Grade 4
Reading Level Grade 3
Dewey FIC
Lexile 840L
ATOS Reading Level 4.9
Guided Reading Level R
Publisher Sleeping Bear Press
Series Tales of Young Americans
Language English
Available Formats Hardcover (9781585363162), PDF (9781410310033), ePub (9781133889472), Hosted ebook (9781627533997), Kindle (9781410310606)
Copyright 2008, 2012, 2014
Number of Pages 40, 32
Dimensions 9 x 11
Graphics Full-color illustrations
  • Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People List (NCSS & CBC cooperative project), Short-listed, 2008
  • Oklahoma Book Award--Children/Young Adult Category, Winner, 2008
  • Oklahoma Center for the Book's State Selection for the National Book Festival, Winner, 2008
  • Bank Street College of Education--Best Book of the Year List, Short-listed, 2007

Pappy's Handkerchief - Teaching Guide

Refer to download. View →

Author: Devin Scillian

Devin Scillian is an award-winning author, broadcast journalist, and musician. He presently anchors the news for WDIV-TV in Detroit. He has traveled the world covering news stories from Sydney to Siberia. His school presentations have inspired countless children to think of themselves as not only readers, but writers as well.
In addition to Memoirs of a Goldfish, Memoirs of a Hamster, Memoirs of an Elf, and Memoirs of a Parrot, Devin is also the author of numerous books for Sleeping Bear Press including the national bestseller A is for America: An American Alphabet. Devin lives in Michigan with his family. Find out more about Devin at www.devinscillian.com.

Illustrator: Chris Ellison

Chris Ellison received his formal art training at the Harris School of Art in Franklin, Tennessee, and then later at the Portfolio Center in Atlanta, Georgia. He has illustrated both children's picture books and adult historical fiction for nearly 20 years. Chris has illustrated several books for Sleeping Bear Press including M is for Mom: A Child's Alphabet; The Lucky Star, Rudy Rides the Rails, Pappy’s Handkerchief, a 2007 Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year. His first book with Sleeping Bear Press, Let Them Play, was named a 2006 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People. Chris lives in Petal, Mississippi, with his wife, Lesley, and two young sons.

Author/Illustrator biography
Awards
Original artwork
Reviewed
Full-color illustrations