Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Out of the Dust originally began as a picture book. Karen Hesse was so fascinated by her research on the Dust Bowl that it morphed into a novel. (Source.)
The dust storm Daddy and Billie Jo get caught in during the funeral procession occurred on April 14, 1935, and was considered the worst storm of the decade. We know this because it happened on a Sunday in real life, and Billie Jo's diary entry—dated April, 1935 (85.3)—talks about people leaving church the day of the storm. (Source.)
Remember Mr. Romney and Mr. Noble's rabbit battle and the cloud of grasshoppers that devours Ma's apples? This stuff actually happened. The lack of vegetation so disrupted the food chain that towns were overrun with these critters—and things got a little out of control. (Source.)