“Downing’s book . . . offers good story time possibilities.”
—School Library Journal
“It is easy to hear the tune as you read the playfully energetic story, and the rhythm is almost irresistible. Ousley’s childlike collage illustrations are appealing.”
—New Orleans Times-Picayune
“A delightful gift that entertains and educates.”
—Acadiana LifeStyle
This rhyming picture book offers children a tour of the Louisiana bayous, marshes, and wetlands and the creatures that inhabit them. Based on a traditional song adapted by the award-winning Louisiana singer/songwriter Johnette Downing, the book invites children to count the families of pelicans, armadillos, black bears, alligators, Catahoulas, nutria, possums, crawfish, and mosquitoes. Each animal named is first introduced by the environment in which they live—the wetlands are home to the barking Catahoula, the live oak haven houses the sleepy possums, the mosquitoes buzz in the swamp, and the armadillos dig in the bayou.
Deborah Kadair’s signature collage illustrations highlight the animals and their surroundings with clear, simple images that kids and parents can re-create at home with construction paper and a bit of imagination.
About the Author
Johnette Downing is an internationally recognized singer/songwriter who performs original children’s music inspired by her Louisiana heritage. When not touring the globe performing her “music for children with Louisiana spice,” she resides in New Orleans. Her first picture book with Pelican was Today Is Monday in Louisiana.
About the Illustrator
Deborah Ousley Kadair’s collage-style illustrations can also be found in Today Is Monday in Louisiana, There Was an Ol’ Cajun, and Grandma’s Gumbo, all published by Pelican. A Louisiana native and a Montessori teacher since the 1990s, she lives in Texas with her husband and son.
DOWN IN LOUISIANA
Traditional Song Adapted by Johnette Downing
Illustrated by Deborah Ousley Kadair
JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / General
32 pp. 8 1/2 x 11
15 color illus. Sheet music
Ages 0–5
ISBN: 9781589804517