When my choral director, Becky Graber, asked if I might write a poem about being a grandparent that she could set to music, I recalled a day spent in Alnmouth by the North Sea with my very small grandson. The poem became a lovely piece of music as well as this picture book, illustrated perfectly by Charlotte Voake.
karenhesseblog 
Dear Ms. Hesse,
My name is Emery Petry and I am in the fourth grade and I read your book Out of the Dust. I loved the book so much i want to make it a book project for school. I also have some questions, is the girl on the cover is she just a random girl in a picture or is she from the Dust Bowl period? also I realized that you and Billy Jo have a lot in common, such as you both play piano. . Do you have Any-siblings? What inspired you to write about the Dust Bowl? I know you are very busy; however I humbly ask for a response.
Yours truly,
Emery T. Petry
Dear Emery,
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. In response to your questions…
The picture on the cover is of Lucille Burroughs who was photographed by Walker Evans as part of the WPA project during the Great Depression.
I do have siblings, you can read a little about them under the FAMILY tab.
Working on a picture book, COME ON, RAIN, led to my writing OUT OF THE DUST. You can also learn more about it by exploring THE STORY BEHIND THE BOOK tab.
I hope you have a great time with your book project.
Keep reading, keep thinking, keep caring,
Karen Hesse