Beautiful Land: A Story of the Oklahoma Land Rush (Once Upon America) [Paperback]

Nancy Antle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1997 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Once Upon America

Annie Mae and her family set out for Oklahoma where in 1889 there will be a race to claim land, yet Annie Mae feels they will not make it in time and fears her dreams of living on a beautiful piece of land of her own will be gone.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-These offerings present personal perspectives of youngsters who take charge in the face of adversity. However, the series' brief format does not allow for much character development and fails to convey the sweeping dangers and drama of the events described. Beautiful Land centers around April 22, 1889, when, at precisely noon, the first Oklahoma Land Rush began. Annie Mae, her father, her brother, and her uncle's family have been waiting at the border for years for the territory to open. On the fateful day, they easily find a plot of land, and when Annie Mae and Dan's father is threatened by claim jumpers, the children get help and save the day. In Facing West, young, overprotected Ben has asthma and believes his condition is the reason for the family's 1845 move west. An outburst from his resentful older sister and help from their guide Pete (who himself had asthma as a child) force Ben to "face his elephant," as the mountain man puts it, and he learns self-reliance on the trail. Both books include some humor and generally integrate historical details well, but stock characters and facile resolutions mar the stories. Historical notes and interesting information about the authors' research are appended. R. Conrad Stein's The Oregon Trail (Childrens, 1994) has excellent illustrations, primary-source material, and an easy-to-read text.
Sally Bates Goodroe, Houston Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. From the Once Upon America series, this short chapter book describes the opening of the Oklahoma Territory. Anna Mae, her brother, and her father have been living in a dugout on the Kansas prairie for two years waiting for word that the new territory is open for settlement. When the news comes, the family lines up with others to race in a land run. Claim jumpers try to cheat them, but soldiers ride to the rescue and all ends well. Although too short to explore fully the emotional issues raised, the book fulfills its purpose in creating sympathetic characters and showing what daily life may have been like for settlers of the period. Especially recommended for libraries in the region and for others seeking short historical fiction at this reading level. Carolyn Phelan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140368086
• ISBN-13: 978-0140368086
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #544,953 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Story of the Oklahoma Land Rush, May 28, 2011

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Sheila Perkins (OKEECHOBEE, FL, US) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Beautiful Land: A Story of the Oklahoma Land Rush (Once Upon America) (Paperback)

Very informing. My grandfather George Wm Rogers laid claim to where I believe is Okla. City now and someone claimed it was theirs and so he left and went on to what they called Pleasant Valley above Snyder and settled.