Time was when the ground dried up and rainstorms were only a memory. The wind kept blowing away clouds, the sun seared the land and folks wondered why their fields and streams had been dry so long.

Then a terrible wall of dust swept across the landscape, turning day into night. In front of the wall ran a desperate boy, Drylongso. With him came hope for a better time.

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Jacket illustration © 1992 by Jerry Pinkney