Welcome to Kit's World · 1934: Growing Up During America's Great Depression

The American Girls Collection

by Harriet Brown, Susan Moore (Illustrator), Philip Hood (Illustrator)

Through photographs, illustrations, and both factual and fictionalized anecdotes, shows what life was like in the United States during the Depression.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Childrens, Picture Books, American History, Juvenile, Historical

60 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2002

Reviews

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many facts, illustrations, and photographs all put together in a visually appealing, easy-to-read style!

[Little Seal]

This has been my favorite of the "Welcome to" so far. I actually relearned a lot of great information, and learned a few new things too.

[RaspberryRoses]

i don't have much special to say about this - very good, but it did feel a little less cohesive then kirsten's world.

[Blurgurl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I blame this for being able to see what's happening to our economy now- 10/10 would read again

[Debra Zager · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been somewhat put off by the American Girl Series because of the slick catalogues that I receive regularly with hundred dollar dolls and all of their expensive accoutrements. The books, small chapter books and the large format picture books like this one are outstanding!
The book begins with background from the 1920s and then describes how the Great Depression began and its impact on Americans rich and poor. There are numerous illustrations and photographs with sidebars on most pages giving additional background or personal stories from the era. The Grapes of Wrath is featured in one!
I learned so much about the period in which my parents were born and my grandparents were young adults. It makes me appreciate the strength that those who lived through the time had to have and the prosperity that we take for granted today.
This is a wonderful resource that could be used just a page or two at a time or to give a very complete look at two decades in America's history.

[Ramona · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book. Pictures, illustrations, peeks into the real world of the poor. So many inventions during this time period. A new president who tries to help the nation recover from severe financial depression and natural disasters, such as the Dust Bowl. We learn how normal people such as Kit and her family learned to economize, enjoy life and survived.

[Miranda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gosh dang do I love all these nonfiction tie-ins to the historical American Girl series!! They go so far into the Historical Research weeds for this series.

Introduction - Welcome to Kit's World -- This section focuses on what life would really be like for a girl Kit's age. We learn about the events that happened shortly before the Great Depression - namely the Roaring Twenties and the great stock market crash. There's a map of the USA that shows where several major events occurred.

Chapter One - Want Amid Plenty -- Here we learn about the lived experience of people in that era. Hoovervilles, famine, joblessness and homelessness. It's serious, but not without hope. There's even a real life vignette about a girl who ran away to be a hobo with her cousin and information about why FDR made such an impact on that era.

Chapter Two - From Bread Bowl to Dust Bowl -- This section talks about other factors contributing to the depression - from particularly strong winters, to droughts, to dust bowls, to floods, and to grasshoppers. There were a lot of contributing factors to the overall loss of the people's livelihoods.

Chapter Three - How We Coped -- Here we see more of the mundane - how did children find a way to be happy and have fun amongst so much suffering. There were loner toy programs, Secret Helper Clubs, outdoor activities and more. There's even a feature on how children helped their families keep their spirits up - through music, crafting, and acting.

Chapter Four - A New Deal -- This section focuses on how people were able to pull themselves out of the depression. There's a focus on the programs put forth by FDR - both physical labor and the arts (like painting or photography). There's a feature on strikes and how workers fought for their rights as well.

A Peek into the Future - Grown Up Kit -- This last bit is a summary of where Kit's life may have gone as she grew up. Her childhood fundamentally shifted how she saw her world and the authors of this book predict that she'd become a reporter, telling the world the truth and framing stories to help people.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to the Depression in the United States for young people. It gives a good basic premise of what life in the 1930s US was like, though there could’ve been more diverse representation of course. I love how these books utilize artwork, photographs, stories, and photos of artifacts to make the time come to life. There’s also lots in here for kids to relate to about games, toys, and pastimes of kids. Though it does mention that World War II was looming not long after, it ends with hope as the focus, a theme beloved by American Girl and Pleasant Company.

[Alexia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to Kit's World gives readers an in-depth look at what it was like to likve during the Great Depression. It starts out by talking about the 1920's as well as the stock market crash that led to the Great Depression and than talks about other topics such as how African Americams were treated, the dust bowls, and severe weather that occured and FDR. The Holocaust is also briefly mentiod I'd recommed this book for anyone who wants to learn about the 30's or has Kit!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very good introduction to the Great Depression. It covers a lot of information; nearly a decade's worth. It is organized a bit differently than the other "world" books so as to help young readers understand what the depression even was.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent overview of the Depression . It covers pretty much everything, from the banks collapsing, soup kitchens, Hoover-villes, the dust- bowl and so much more. The illustrations pair well with the text.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

TONS of information! lots of great detail and photographs.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and informative. There's a lot crammed in here. It may be a bit surface level, but I don't really expect anything else in a book like this.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might be the American girl book I've read the most. It explains the Great Depression perfectly for young children with getting too deep into the economic complexities. As an older lover of history, I've come to understand it is more complicated than just a stock market crash, but as a kid it gave me the perfect foundation. More than that, it gives you a great taste of the 1930s: the unemployment, the culture, the aftermath, etc. Highly recommended for young readers and their parents! Buy Kit's books and read this along with those. It's a great way to encourage your kid's interest in history.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This non-fiction text is a wonderful informational text to give students background knowledge. There are pictures of real artifacts, like photos and letters, which will keep students engaged. There are many different topics that are covered in the book from race relations, what children did for work, and growing up poor. This is a great text to build content knowledge of the Great Depression. In addition, there are first-hand accounts of survivors of the Great Depression. This non-fiction text talks about many of the alternatives means people had to live by during this era because of their economic disposition.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked all the pictures and interesting facts in this book. I learned some new things about the Great Depression.

The people that lived during this time are inspiring to me. They were so frugal with what they had and really made their clothes and belongings last a long time.

Reading about the Great Depression taught me some important lessons in gratitude and thrift. People during this time period were creative in finding ways to entertain themselves for free. I think I can be better about finding free or cheaper ways to entertain myself and to be more careful with money overall.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved reading this book, because sometimes (even for a history guru like me) you forget just exactly how desperate times were during the depression. Another great read that combines the life of an American Girl, photos, and writing to make a thorough description of life in a certain time period. One of my favorites out of the Welcome to ___ 's World collection. I also really enjoy how (specifically in this book) there is lots of memoirs and testimonials by real girls who lived during these times. That makes these books really fun.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for children and adults to have fun learning about a part of US History, the Great Depression. The pictures are excellent and the discussion is simple, straightforward, and informative. It isn't a narrative, but does bring the Depression back to Kit and her family throughout the text. I really enjoyed reading this book and learned alot.

[Kayla Copeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely wonderful!! I wish I had my own copy of it. This book would be good to have in the classroom because it teaches a lot of information about the Great Depression and has great pictures.

[Annalise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked learning the different facts about the depression.

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent picture-book of the Great Depression.

[Rebekka · Rating 4 out of 5]

its so sad that people lost theyre jobs and had no home no food and not that much clothes. And Hebert Hoover wasnt even helping .

[Miri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contains information about 30s fashion, the great depression, President FDR and much more.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot about the Great Depression.

[Estelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very cool book! It tells you a lot about the great depression!

[Terra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great trade book!