New releases by River Road Press of New Orleans

It’s always a treat to see a new release by the multi-talented Johnette Downing and her latest book doesn’t disappoint. In fact, it may be our new favorite. “Who Got the Baby in the King Cake?” traces the creation of the Carnival cake from rolling out the dough to enjoying it at a party. Each step of the way is accompanied by Downing’s innovative collage illustrations and the “Author’s Note” in the back explains the king cake tradition and how it came to be. In January, Downing will release the song that matches the book, which she recorded with her husband Scott Billington and members of the Dukes of Dixieland. It’s part of an album that highlights Louisiana roots music, from New Orleans traditional jazz to Cajun. “The song is on my upcoming children's record with my hubby titled ‘Swamp Romp, A Louisiana Dance Party for Children,’” Downing wrote us by email.

Another Louisiana talent who mixes great storytelling with creative illustrations is Alexis Braud, a Cajun native from Bayou Lafourche. She has three wonderful books out this fall and every one a winner.

For the little ones, “One, Two, Rougarou” mixes counting with an old Louisiana folktale. In this version, the rougarou (Cajun wolf) can be stopped from entering a house by leaving 13 small objects in a line. The rougarou can’t count past 12 but readers will be able to after reading this book.

“Gumbo, a Magical Bayou Tale” follows a boy named George who’s playing along the bayou until he finds Nanny making a gumbo. But not just any gumbo — the BEST gumbo! In rhyme, Nanny shows George how it’s done, everything from making a roux “shiny like an old penny” to stirring it with a big paddle and Nanny playing the fiddle while it cooks. In the end, there’s a recipe for Nanny’s Gumbo that comes with excellent, easy-to-understand instructions. 

In her most imaginative tale, Braud marries animal illustrations with ballet positions in “Bayou Ballet.” There’s a Panther Pirouette, Rabbit Releve, Turtle Tutu and a Pelican Plie, plus many more (and forgive my lack of accents for Google has issues with them). Dancers will adore this book but I only knew half the positions and loved it just as much. The "Bayou Ballet" launch party will be from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018, at the French Library in New Orleans.

Another fascinating tale using animals, and one also fun for children as well as adults, is Michael B. Hewes’ “The Tempestuous Trial of Maybelline Meriweather.” In the town of Avian Mile “perfidious hen” Maybelline stands accused of stealing an egg from another bird’s nest. The town is aghast and as they relate her colorful lifestyle, we are treated to a flock of fascinating birds and rollicking rhyme. Atticus Peck represents Maybelline in the trial, opposed by Canary Mason. Like Braud’s “Bayou Ballet,” bird lovers will get a kick from this tale, but I believe children will enjoy it as well. Just be sure to read it out loud. Heyes is a retired JAG officer who practices law in Gulfport. He is the author of the novel “Watermark.” The book is illustrated by his artist wife, Sarah Hewes.

The Hewes will appear at the following events:

Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, noon to 4 p.m., Barnes and Noble, Gulfport.
Friday, Nov. 23, 2018, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sundog Books, Seaside
Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018 - 2 p.m., Page and Palette, Fairhope

Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, Lemuria Books, Jackson

Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, Main Street Books, Hattiesburg

Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, Gallery 782 Co-Art, Biloxi
Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018 - 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Barnes & Noble, Metairie – TENTATIVE

Erin Rovin creates a young girl named Little Laveau who lives on the banks of the Mississippi with her menagerie of pets and her Gram in “Little Laveau, a magical bedtime story.” Illustrated by Katie Campbell, the book deals with her friend having bad dreams and Little Laveau explaining how to put them in a dream jar and let them loose. It includes a good dream recipe and pages to record readers’ dreams. The authors follow up with “Little Laveau: Bayou Beware!” in which the young girl meets a young trumpet player but gets lost in the woods one night chasing after her pets. Rovin will appear at the Audubon Zoo on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, for the Zoo Lights Launch Party (New Orleans, LA).

Other books coming out this fall from River Road Press:

“Jack and Remy’s Bayou Band” by Joani Lacy, illustrated by Debbi Kern

“Mardi Gras in Alabama!” by Karyn W. Tunks, illustrated by Alexis Braud

River Road Press authors will be as a group at the following events:

Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018 - 10 am - 5 pm

Palmer Park Arts Market (New Orleans, LA)

Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018 - 10 am - 5 pm

Palmer Park Arts Market (New Orleans, LA)

Saturday, Dec. 1 - 10 am - 4 pm
Lycee Francais de la Nouvelle-Orleans Marche d'Hiver (winter market)
Lycee Francais Priestley campus (Leonidas Street, New Orleans)

Saturday, Dec. 15-16, 2018 - 10 am - 5 pm
Palmer Park Arts Market (New Orleans, LA) 

To learn where individual River Road Press authors will be this holiday season, click here.

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.

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.