Seven Louisiana authors to discuss their new books Oct. 25 at East Bank Regional Library presentation

Seven local authors – six children’s authors and one nonfiction author - will discuss their books at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018. at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie. This event is free and open to the public. There is no registration.

Yvonne Spear Perret

“The Little Float that Could” - The big day has arrived and the youngest riders in the Mardi Gras Day parade are ready to share their beads and trinkets with the children of New Orleans. But as they prepare to start the parade, their float falters and breaks a wheel. Will the children be able to bring the magic of Mardi Gras to the Crescent City?

“Simon of New Orleans” – This book is a celebration of the exuberant, sumptuous, energetic work of French artist, Simon Hardeveld, synonymous with his adopted hometown. Private collectors snap up pieces as soon as the paint is dry; he painted an entire news set for New Orleans ABC affiliate; and one cannot travel throughout the City of New Orleans without seeing Simon’s artwork everywhere.

Perret is a magna cum laude graduate of Tulane and has taught math and English for 25 years in New Orleans high schools, most recently at Isidore Newman School. She has written for numerous publications, including USA Today, the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Gambit, New Orleans Magazine, and Disney’s FamilyFun, and was the editor of The New Orleans Wedding Guide. She is the author of a popular book, “Yat Wit: Chicken Gumbo for the New Orleans Soul.” She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrations,

Erin Rovin

“Little Laveau - A Magical Bedtime Story” -  Little Laveau's friend Thomas is having bad dreams and he doesn't know what to do - but Little Laveau has just the magical cure for those bedtime blues. Join Little Laveau in this wonderful children's book as she journeys around the enchanting Louisiana Bayou, helping friends and animals wherever she goes.

“Little Laveau - Bayou Beware” - It's the town's big celebration, but Little Laveau is lost in the woods. Luckily, her newest musical friend has the magical cure she needs. In her second adventure, Little Laveau journeys around the magical Louisiana Bayou, helping friends and animals wherever she goes.

Rovin lives in New Orleans and says her daily dose of inspiration is her five-year-old daughter, Story. Rovin has written for many entertainment websites while living in Los Angeles and created a weekly fashion column for a local newspaper while in Pennsylvania. She also wrote for an online site as a New Orleans City Guide, interviewing locals on what makes NOLA special.

Michael Hewes, Sarah Hewes

“The Tempestuous Trial of Maybelline Meriweather” - Maybelline Meriweather has been put on trial for stealing an egg from another bird’s nest. After consulting with the Mockingbirds, she retains the renowned Atticus Peck to take her case. A courtroom drama ensues, featuring revelations, cross-examinations, and flighty admissions. In the end, justice is served, and Maybelline is finally able to explain the curious behavior that first marked her as a suspect.

The book references more than 50 illustrated bird species.

As an undergraduate at the University of Southern Mississippi, Michael Hewes shared the hallways of his dorm with a chicken named Maybelline. He went on to pursue a career in law, and on the way home from a deposition began to wonder what would happen if a chicken was put on trial for stealing another bird’s egg. By the time he got home, the first two stanzas of this book were written. He is also the author of the novel “Watermark.” Sarah Hewes has spent the majority of her career painting birds, although this is the first time she has adorned them with pants. Sarah’s work hangs in corporate and private collections throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, and her art has been published in two books. 

Cornell P. Landry

“Goodnight to da Parish” - There has never been a children’s book about St. Bernard Parish – until now. While writing Goodnight to da Parish, Landry worked closely with natives to make certain the book was authentic, capturing the spirit, the soul, the history, the resilience, and the pride of St. Bernard Parish and its people.

Landry’s first children’s book, “Goodnight NOLA,” was published in 2009, and now has over 82,000 copies in print. Since that time, he has written five more New Orleans-centric books, including “Happy Mardi Gras,” “One Dat, Two Dat, Are you a Who Dat?

Alexis Braud

“Bayou Ballet” - is a feathered and furry leap to center stage in this bayou-based introduction to ballet. Readers can join hands with the armadillo in the pas de deux or pirouette with the panther. Budding ballerinas will love the humorous illustrations paired with accurate and friendly explanations of dance terms, making the moves easy to understand and remember for both young learners and anyone who loves dance. 

 

“One, Two, Rougarou” - The Rougarou is the Cajun werewolf. In this Louisiana twist on a counting favorite, the Rougarou can be stopped by placing 13 small objects in a line across the doorway. According to legend, the Rougarou cannot count to 13, but he will keep on trying until sunrise. This board book is designed to help little ones learn how to count.

“Gumbo – A Magical Bayou Tale” - George wanders through the bayou on a lazy afternoon and becomes charmed by the scent of a far-off gumbo drifting on the breeze. He follows his nose and meets the mystical Nanny, who seems at home in the swamp under her ancient oak trees. Nanny and George prepare a gumbo rich in music, stories, laughter, and Cajun secrets. As they dice, chop, and stir, she will teach him how to put together the most important of Cajun dishes and impart a few lessons about life along the way. 

Braud is a graduate of Nicholls State University and she lives with her books, drawings, and family along Bayou Lafourche, the same bayou on which she grew up. Alexis Braud’s works include: “Cajun ABC,” “Mardi Gras in Alabama!,” “The Unhuggables,” “A Number of Crows” and “Parade.” 

Johnette Downing

“Bugs on the Rug” - Based on a song from Johnette Downing’s Boogie Woogie Bugs album, Bugs on the Rug – with its singsong rhyming text – introduces babies and youngsters to the world of bugs. Illustrated in Johnette’s bold, bright foam and paper collage style, the bugs seem soft enough to touch and pick up off the page.

“Ten Gators in the Bed” - Downing takes readers deep into the swamp where 10 alligators pile into bed in their Acadian home. Based on a familiar tune, this singing book, with foam and paper illustrations, is a counting and bedtime story for babies and gators, who find out who gets to sleep in the bed and who has to sleep in the swamp.

“Who Got the Baby in the King Cake?” - Based on a song from Johnette Downing’s new album “Swamp Romp, A Louisiana Dance Party for Children,” this rhythmic original story celebrates king cake, the culinary centerpiece of New Orleans Mardi Gras. Believed to have originated in twelfth-century France, the cake is an homage to the wise men or three kings. 

Recipient of the 2017 Louisiana Writer Award, Downing is a musician, author and illustrator dedicated to sharing her Louisiana roots music and books with children. Called the “Musical Ambassador to Children,” Downing has performed on five continents and has received numerous awards for her 23 picture and board books, and 11 recordings. A former early-childhood music teacher, she combines music and stories to celebrate childhood, culture, and literacy. 

John Magill

“The Incomparable Magazine Street” - New Orleans’ Magazine Street has undergone remarkable changes over its long history. From an overlooked district of mostly unassuming residences and businesses, it has evolved into one of the nation’s most dynamic business thoroughfares. Once host to neighborhood grocers, druggists, and cleaners, today Magazine has become a destination of fashion boutiques, gift shops, design studios, antique stores, and galleries. It is also one of the most important dining and drinking streets in town. Still home to small little neighborhood eateries, Magazine now hosts some of the city’s most renowned restaurants. Yet even with the transformation the street has seen, the soul of Magazine retains its residential charm.

Magill retired in 2016 as senior curator with The Historic New Orleans Collection after more than 30 years. A nationally known urban historian and New Orleans expert, he has lectured and written on topics ranging from Carnival to catastrophes. He has penned articles for New Orleans Magazine, Louisiana Cultural Vistas, and The Historic New Orleans Collection Quarterly. He contributed to Charting Louisiana: 500 Years of Maps and is the coauthor of “Canal Street: New Orleans’ Great Wide Way” and “Christmas in New Orleans.” Magill has been honored by the Press Club of New Orleans, the Gulf South Historical Association, and the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.

Louisiana Book News is written by award-winning author Chere Dastugue Coen, who writes Louisiana romances and mysteries under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Her first book in each series is FREE to download as an ebook, including "Emilie," book one of The Cajun Series, "Ticket to Paradise," book one of The Cajun Embassy series and "A Ghost of a Chance," the first Viola Valentine mystery.

Local and international books to please young readers

            Last week I promised more children’s book review to keep kids occupied — and reading — this summer.

A great book to read to your children, followed up by a trip to the University Art Museum, is “Grandma in Blue with Red Hat” by Scott Menchin, illustrated by Harry Bliss. A young boy loves taking classes at the art museum and his teacher explains that art provokes many things — happiness, beauty, storytelling, uniqueness and much more. The boy realizes these are the same qualities as his grandmother, who ends up painting in the style of famous artists. He realizes that art, like his grandmother, are one of a kind pieces.

Joe writes his grandfather explaining what he’s learning this summer in “Ice Cream Summer” by Peter Sis. There’s plenty of math, reading, geography — even cartography, but it all contains an ice cream theme. Even Joe’s history lessons explain how ice cream was born in China 2,000 years ago. When grandpa arrives to take Joe on a special, the theme continues in this charming and innovative book that makes learning fun.

Journalist, teacher and performer Mel LeCompte Jr. of Opelousas has penned and illustrated a geography lesson of Louisiana in a rhyming story in which T-Boy loses his turtle and travels the state in search of him in “T-Boy and the Terrible Turtle.” The young boy searches several towns and cities, emphasizing their attributes, such as rice in Crowley and the Biedenharn Museum in Monroe. In the back is a handy map and list of the cities with more information. LeCompte is also author of the children’s book, “The Ice Cream Cow,” and “Sharpened Iron” The Tee Cotton Bowl Story.”

Home comes in many forms, which is why Carson Ellis, illustrator of “The Composer is Dead” by Lemony Snicket, showcases the many different homes of the world in “Home.” There’s French homes, bee homes, urban apartments, artistic dwellings and the home of a Norse god, among so many more.

Young children will also love “The Monkey and the Bee” by C.P. Bloom, illustrated by Peter Raymundo, a simple but vibrant tale of a monkey at first irritated by a bee when he lands on the monkey’s banana. When the monkey swats at the bee, he disturbs a lion who chases the monkey — until the bee threatens the lion with his stinger. In the end, the monkey appreciates having a friendship with the bee.

Don’t wait until summer’s end to get “Ally-Saurus and the First Day of School” by Richard Torrey, an adorable book about a young girl who loves dinosaurs and plays the part and how she reacts to the other kids on her first day of school. Although it’s difficult adjusting to the other kids at first, children who don’t necessarily roar at snack time, Ally discovers that other kids have vivid imaginations too. What makes this the perfect summer book is the children visit the library at book’s end and discover a variety of new worlds. After all, books inspire the imagination so don’t forget to visit the library for more.

Cap off the night with Cornell Landry’s latest, “Goodnight Cajun Land,” a beautifully illustrated (by Sean Gautreaux) and delightfully rhyming book that says goodnight to what makes Acadiana special, such as zydeco dancing, Evangeline Maid Bread, boudin and the UL-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns. Landry has written  Cornell P. Landry has written several New Orleans-centric books such as “Goodnight NOLA,” “Happy Mardi Gras” and “One Dat, Two Dat and Are You a Who Dat?” View his books at http://www.blackpotpublishing.com/.

Book events

David Atwood will be signing his latest book of poetry, “Catfish Bones and Cajun Ghosts,” from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 27, at 1921 Jackson Street Coffee House in Alexandria.

“Dollbaby” by Laura Lane McNeal is now in paperback and to celebrate the softcover release McNeal will sign copies from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, at Garden District Book Shop in New Orleans.

The Historic New Orleans Collection’s latest exhibition, “Purchased Lives: New Orleans and the Domestic Slave Trade, 1808–1865,” will run through July 18, and several special events have been scheduled. Heather Andrea Williams will lead a book club session on “Help Me to Find My People: The African American Search for Family Lost in Slavery” at 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday, June 26-27, at the New Orleans museum. Admission is free.

Louisiana Book News is written by Cheré Coen, the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “ExploringCajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.

Broussard honors African Americans of Lafayette, Southwest Louisiana

Sherry T. Broussard of Lafayette has entertained audiences for more than 30 years with her innovative, award-winning storytelling. She is an educator, former academic librarian, researcher and community activist and has produced black history and cultural programs in regional schools, churches, libraries and museums. Broussard is also the founder and president of Bayouland Storytellers Guild of Southwest Louisiana and the Just Write Cultural Arts Group and cofounder of Malunda African-American Book Club. This month, Broussard’s “Images of America: African Americans in Lafayette and Southwest Louisiana” by Arcadia Publishing has been published. Broussard will hold a book signing at 2 p.m. Saturday at Barnes & Noble, 5707 Johnston St. in Lafayette and at 2 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Paul and LuLu Hilliard University Art Museum on the UL-Lafayette campus.

Cornell Landry, author of “Goodnight NOLA” and other children’s picture books has published a new children’s book just in time for Carnival season. “Happy Mardi Gras,” illustrated by Sean Gautreaux, teaches children the history of Carnival. 

If you’re headed to New Orleans for Mardi Gras fun, try the “Food Lovers’ Guide to New Orleans,” a pocket sized book by Becky Retz, a staff writer with The Times-Picayune, and James Gaffney, a travel writer who lives in New Orleans.

And speaking of The Times-Picayune, the newspaper is celebrating its 175-year anniversary with a commemorative book titled “Our Times — New Orleans through the Pages of The Times-Picayune.”

Louisiana publisher Margaret Media has published an end-of-the-world scenario with philosophical lessons titled “Humanus Diabolicus: A Postmodern Prophecy” by Baton Rouge author James Houk. The fantasy-New Age novel is available through www.margaretmedia.com and local booksellers such as Cottonwood Books in Baton Rouge. To reserve a signed copy, call (225) 343-1266.

Michael Dan Jones, author of “The Tiger Rifles: The Making of a Louisiana Legend,” will give a talk on these Louisiana Confederates at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Young-Sanders Center at 701 Teche Drive in Franklin. Jones will display a reproduction Tiger Zouave uniform, Baton Rouge Arsenal accoutrements and a Mississippi rifle like those worn and carried by the unit. He will also have on display several art prints featuring the Tiger Rifles. The Tiger Rifles, Company B, of Wheat’s Battalion became famous because of their flashy Zouave uniforms, battalion commander Major Roberdeau Wheat and their heroics at First Battle of Manassas. Their nickname, Tigers, became attached, first to the battalion, and then to all Louisiana troops serving in the Army of Northern Virginia.  Jones co-authored “Lee’s Foreign Legion: A History of the 10th Louisiana Infantry Regiment” with Thomas Walter Brooks. The Southwest Louisiana Historical Association has published a series of books by Jones, including “Southwest Louisiana in the War Between the States,” “Southwest Louisianians Defend the Nation” and “Adventures in Old Calcasieu.” The lecture is free. For more information, contact the Young-Sanders Center at (337) 413-1861 or ysc1861@aol.com.

Terry Bethea will sign copies of her children’s book, “Why Snails are Slow” at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 25 at Barnes & Noble, 5707 Johnston St., Lafayette.

Casa Azul in Grand Coteau will offer a French open mic at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23. Free. Participants may share poems, stories, songs and other forms of creative expression in French, either borrowed or original. For more information, call (337) 662-1032.

The South Regional Branch Library will screen “Precious,” the first film directed by a black director (Lee Daniels) to be nominated for Best Picture at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23. The screening is part of a series by the Lafayette Parish Library Black History Month.

           

Cheré Coen is the author of “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” She teaches writing at UL-Lafayette’s Continuing Education. Write her at chere@louisianabooknews.com.