The Great Shaking: An Account of the Earthquakes of 1811 and 1812

by Jo Carson

A bear who was there describes three earthquakes in Arkansas, in 1811 and 1812, and their aftermath

1 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1994

About the author

Jo Carson was a playwright, poet, fiction writer, performer, author of children's books, and NPR commentator.

Her books highlight voice and narrative, such as the popular collection of first-person persona poems Stories I Ain't Told Nobody Yet. She devoted many years to developing community theater and storytelling projects.

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 3 out of 5]

When an earthquake hits in the United States, the first place people think of is the Pacific Coast, where fault lines run through California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. But the largest set of quakes to continuously hit an area was in the Midwest of the United States, in a place called New Madrid. When the quakes struck between 1811-1812, there were few people living in the area as it was still new land for Americans. But the flora and fauna took a beating and this illustrated children’s book presents the story of the events through the eyes of a hibernating bear.

This time, fissures opened like mouths, and to keep from being swallowed by them, bears and humans climbed onto the fallen trees and held on. For once, we did not try to harm one another. We had a new predator, Mother. She could have eaten us all without so much as a burp when she had finished.

The bear is in cozy hibernation when the first earthquake hits in December of 1811. It’s winter and it’s cold but the jolt is so big and goes on for so long, that the ground opens up and hot water gushes around. Animals drown, unable to get away from the sloshing waters. The second quake hit in January of 1812, followed by the third big one just a month later. The aftershocks were also enormous, and the bear ends up having to find a new den for Mother Nature has destroyed the old one. The bear implores Mother to stop all the movement because some animals have to sleep during winter.

Mother changed shape here. Places that had been are no more; there are new places. I have not moved; Mother moved, and it does not look the same.

The New Madrid earthquakes were felt over a 50,000 square mile area, which means people living on the East Coast of the United States actually felt some of the tremors! By comparison, the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake was only felt over a 6,000 square mile region. Imagine what would happen today if the New Madrid area experiences the same magnitude quakes! It would be catastrophic. After all, the 1811-1812 quakes were so powerful the waters of the mighty Mississippi River flowed backwards for a time and the river’s waves wiped out islands and shorelines in an instant.

I always like children’s books that teach history and by using the point-of-view of a bear, the book draws in the young reader. I wasn’t crazy about the illustrations, especially one where humans are shown rebuilding, and they are wearing modern day clothes. A little strange but the point does get through. Mother Nature is not to be trifled with and that is that. Even for fat bears.

Book Season = Winter (beware of comets with two tails)

[Adam Gibson-Even · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good - the simple metaphor of the shaking mother was good for my kids (four and six) to figure out and think about.

I'd have been happy for a little more explanation at the end of what was going on in the story (the geysers and so forth).