Brenda O'Bannion

Life in Grayson's pasture is tough for a little cowbird named Cody. Pop wants to teach him new things - scary things. His best friend Wally means well but is forever getting him in trouble. Now, there's a newcomer in the pasture - a bully who's picking on Cody.Will Cody ever feel safe in his pasture? Sharing his secret might help - or it could bring more trouble. When a dangerous threat sweeps the pasture, will Cody find a way to face his fears?Children will discover that being scared when faced with new experiences is natural, but can be overcome. They'll also learn some practical techniques for coping with bullying.

The Dust Bowl took their land. The Depression took their hope. But God wasn't finished with their story. The McCoy family has lost everything to the Dust Bowl-their farm, their livelihood, their dreams. With two young daughters and nowhere to go, they join thousands of displaced families searching for hope in a desperate nation. Sleeping in tent cities, struggling to find work, and watching their carefully built life crumble to dust, Mary Beth fights a growing bitterness that threatens to destroy her marriage and her faith. Miles away, fourteen-year-old Thacker rides the rails westward, learning the lessons of hobo life while carrying the weight of his mother's desperate hopes. Escaping an abusive stepfather, he navigates a dangerous world of railway bulls, hungry drifters, and the unforgiving landscape of Depression-era America. As their journeys converge in an oil boom town of East Texas, both the McCoys and Thacker will discover that sometimes losing everything is the only way to find what matters most. Rivers of Dust offers historical authenticity, multiple perspectives, and deeply human characters facing impossible choices. From the auction block where the McCoys watch their lives sold piece by piece, to Thacker's harrowing journey across the Southwest, this story explores timeless questions: How do we maintain hope when circumstances crush us? What does it mean to truly trust God's provision? How do faith and suffering coexist? When do we hold on, and when must we let go?

Kate McNaughton's life should be a ball. She has the support of a loving family, a good job as clerk at the mining company her father and brothers work for, and the interest of handsome new miner Patrick. But there's trouble at the mine, and when a tragic accident threatens to tear apart her family, she suspects Patrick may be responsible.Emily Carter's life should be made in the shade. Newlywed to the superintendent of the mine, she has a life of plenty and prestige. But she can't break the class barrier to make a single friend in this close-knit community, and even her husband is pulling away from her. Now, she's keeping secrets from him.As if these two women in Farrowlee, West Virginia, don't have enough to worry about at home, war breaks out in Korea, affecting their families in unimaginable ways. Navigating the strife at home and abroad will require every ounce of their strength as they learn that only God can bring peace amid the struggles.

Dawfie, a child with autism, lives on a river road with her mother and brother. When her brother, Crow, leaves for the army, she spends every day watching the road from her rocking chair on the porch. Seasons come and go, but Dawfie continues to keep watch from the front porch and then from the front window when cold weather arrives.When will Uncle Carl's old blue truck come down the river road to bring her brother home?This book speaks to the love between a brother and sister and the heart-tugging separation caused by war. Beautiful pictures and compelling words make this a must read to children ages six to eight.

Third-generation apple farmer Will Parson must find a distributor and laborers for his harvest--and a way to placate his wife, who yearns for luxury. How can he hold on to Applewood Orchard amid the Great Depression? Eighteen acres separate Will's farm from the estate owned by Carl and Eleanor Rhode, a couple who harbor deep secrets from each other and from the community. With the world seeming to fall apart around them, their lives become intertwined in suprising ways. At the edge of the forest, Tilly hides in the low branches of tall spruce trees and watches them. Will she find the courage to come out of seclusion when lives are endangered? Love, hope, and forgiveness abound in this first novel of the Wonderful West Virginia Series

In 1923 East Texas, young Leola leaves her loving family for a teaching job in a backwoods community miles from home. She knows there will be challenges, but doesn't anticipate a bitter, unkind co-teacher, a parent who wishes to harm her-or the man from the woods. As a bride, Leola begins a lonely life on an isolated river road in the deep woods of western Louisiana. Over the next six decades her faith and love are tested by poverty, death, and a disabled child. Leola's response to these adversities will affect not only herself but generations to come. In this parallel memoir, the connection between Leola and her granddaughter spills out in the telling of similar stories of poverty, love, faith, and resilience.

Cody the cowbird is scared of everything, including bad weather, but finds the courage to manage a bully and help his friends when a tornado comes.