If I remember correctly, the children’s story is a short-story which was part of a larger book which contained many different stories. It may even be true, or based on a true story. It was read to me in the 1970s. It is the story of a flood from a nearby reservoir’s dam breaking, and a smart, resourceful mother who protects and saves her little children by climbing onto tables, then top of bookcase/cabinet, then eventually sawing through ceiling and placing them in attic, (or maybe outside)?. The story had at least once hand drawn black & white