Want to put something extra special
in your children’s Easter basket next Sunday? How about a book that will last
far after the day is through and the chocolate consumed. Here are a few to
choose from:
“Among a Thousand Fireflies” by Helen
Frost, illustrated with photos by Rick Lieder, is a delightful poetic tale of
how fireflies glow at dusk to find each other. The dreamy photographs explain
how two insects will meet in a meadow of thousands, mirroring how magical all
relationships can be. In the back is a helpful explanation of fireflies, what
we lovingly call lightning bugs.
Arthur Robison, known as “Mr.
Okra,” drove his colorful van of produce through New Orleans neighborhoods and
became an iconic sight. Lashon Daley, who discovered both the city and Mr. Okra
during her time serving as an AmeriCorps member, brings his story to light in
the storybook, “Mr. Okra Sells Fresh Fruits and Vegetables,” published by
Pelican Publishing of New Orleans. The book is full of fun illustrations of both
Mr. Okra and city landmarks, created by Emile Henriquez, illustrator of many Pelican
titles.
Alexis Braud of Cut Off utilizes a
collection of cute animals to showcase Louisiana’s joie de vivre in “Parade.” A
mouse decides one morning that he wants to lead a parade so he attaches a flag
to his tail and begins his walk. Soon, other animals are following behind,
dressing and dancing in style.
“One feature of many of our
celebrations, happy or sad, sacred or secular, is parading,” wrote Braud in the
Author’s Note. “Parade was written to capture the spontaneous joy of stepping
out.”
For older
readers who enjoy a bit of adventure:
“Voices of
the Western Frontier” by award-winning author Sherry Garland, illustrated by
Julie Dupré Buchner, takes readers through a variety of “voices,” from a young
girl walking the Oregon Trail and the sheriff of wild Dodge City in 1880 to the
Chinese immigrants building railroads and the vaqueros of Mexico. Each paints a
distinct portrait of the lives who settled the American west. Garland created
the “Voices Series” to help readers learn about pivotal moments in American
history, such as Pearl Harbor, the Dust Bowl and the Buffalo Soldiers.
Adult releases
Retired Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlie
Spillers has published a non-fiction account of his experiences during 10 years
undercover, six with the Baton Rouge Police Department and five with the
Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics in “Confessions of An Undercover Agent:
Adventures, Close Calls and the Toll of a Double Life” (University Press of
Mississippi).
“Although
the book is mainly about my experiences, I also wrote about some exciting
undercover of other agents and I’m excited to tell their stories,” Spillers
wrote me by email.
After 18
years in law enforcement, Spillers became a career federal prosecutor and later
volunteered and served three tours in Iraq for the Department of Justice as an
advisor to the Iraqi High Tribunal, the court that tried Saddam Hussein,
Chemical Ali and others.
“Charlie
Spillers is a natural-born storyteller with one hell of a story to tell,” said
Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author of “The
Forsaken” and “The Redeemers.” “This is the real lowdown on southern
crime from a man who saw it from the inside. After reading the book, I don’t
know if Spillers was brave or just plain crazy. But I loved it. A great read.”
Spillers
will sign books April 5 in Oxford, Miss., followed by some events in Louisiana.
Emily Beck Cogburn’s novel features
a new librarian, Louisiana Richardson, looking to turn things around at
Alligator Bayou Parish’s struggling library in “Louisiana Saves the Library.”
Richardson, who lives in Baton Rouge, uses unconventional methods to fight domineering
parish board head Mrs. Gunderson — like outrageous inter-library Zumba classes
and forming a book club that’s anything but Oprah-approved. And between glasses
of sweet tea, gumbo and a new love, the newly single Southern mom might find a
life she never imagined, and a place to finally call home.
Cogburn is a freelance journalist
and fitness instructor with degrees from the University of Minnesota, Ohio
State University, and a master’s degree in library and information science from
LSU. For more information, visit emilycogburn.com.
Keagan LeJeune, a professor of
English at McNeese State University, past president of the Louisiana Folklore
Society and editor of its journal, Louisiana Folklore Miscellany, takes on a
few unsavory Louisiana residents in his new book, “Legendary Louisiana Outlaws:
The Villains and Heroes of Folk Justice,” by LSU Press.” The book explores the
state’s colorful fugitives, from the infamous pirate Jean Laffite and Bonnie
and Clyde to less familiar bandits like train-robber Eugene Bunch and suspected
murderer Leather Britches Smith.
Book events
“An
Afternoon of Romantic Music” by L’Opera de Lafayette et Lagniappe will be
performed at 4 p.m. today at South Regional Library.
Frederick
M. Trapnell Jr. and Dana Trapnell Tibbits will discuss “Harnessing the Sky:
Frederick “Trap” Trapnell, the US Navy’s Aviation Pioneer, 1923-52” Tuesday at
the U.S. Freedom Pavilion of the World War II Museum in New Orleans. The event
begins with a 5 p.m. reception, followed by a 6 p.m. presentation and a 7 p.m.
book signing. This program is free and open to the public, but seating is
limited. Ensure your spot by RSVPing online or calling (504) 528-1944, Ext.
412.
Keith Lee Morris will discuss and
sign “Travelers Rest,” a chilling fable about a family marooned in a snowbound
town whose grievous history intrudes on the dreamlike present, at 6 p.m.
Tuesday at Octavia Books of New Orleans.
“Mary
Magdalene, the Da Vinci Code and History” is the topic of Southeastern
Louisiana University history professor Dr. William Robison at 7 p.m. Wednesday
at South Regional Library.
Pastor Ronnie L. Williams of Power
in the Word World Ministries will discuss his book “The Message of Romans 10:9”
at 2 p.m. at the Main Library in Baton Rouge. Williams is also the author of “When
God Gives You Vision, He Will Also Give You Provision” and “Seven Divine Keys
To A Healthier You Now!”
This winter, LSU Press and
its authors have received national recognition for excellent in academic
publishing. Three 2015 LSU Press books were honored as Outstanding Academic
Titles by the American Library Association’s academic review magazine CHOICE.
Comprising less than 3 percent of the thousands of titles sent to CHOICE in the
year, these books represent the best scholarship, presentation, and treatment
of their subjects.
The titles chosen were Philip Howard’s “Black Labor,
White Sugar,” which considers race and immigration in the Cuban
sugar industry; Jenny Ellerbe and Diana Greenlee’s “Poverty Point,” a
photographic and scholarly exploration of the mysterious ancient city in
northeastern Louisiana; and John Bush Jones’s “Reinventing
Dixie,” which explores the way the songs of Tin Pan Alley helped to
create the moonlight-and-magnolia mythos of the American South.
Every year the Prose Awards recognize the best in
professional and scholarly publishing. Submissions are judged by peer
publishers, librarians and professionals in various fields of study. LSU Press
received an honorable mention in the category of Law and Legal Studies for
Thomas Aiello’s “Jim Crow’s
Last Stand,” and in the U.S. History category for Jeff Forret’s “Slave against
Slave.”
