Books for Readers 8-12

This abbreviated board book edition is the perfect introduction to this classic tale!

Gaston the green-nosed alligator has returned from the swamp and is taking adventurous readers on a tour of Mardi Gras.

Embark on a magical journey through Florida’s diverse landscapes.

Join our young protagonist aboard the Panhandle Pullman for an unforgettable adventure filled with breathtaking sights and exciting discoveries. From the emerald waters of St. George Island to the historic streets of St. Augustine, each stop offers new wonders to explore. Taste the Tupelo honey, and marvel at the wildlife of the Florida Keys. Encounter manatees and sea turtles, alligators, crocodiles. Blast off at a NASA rocket launch! All Aboard, Florida! celebrates the beauty, history, and wonders of Florida in a captivating tale for children of all ages. Climb aboard and get ready for a journey of a lifetime.

Deep in the bayou where critters reside lived a lovable little crawfish they all knew as Clyde. The big crawfish said he would always be too small to play, but Clyde had an idea of how his giant cousin up in Maine could help! Young readers will enjoy the trick while also learning the importance of inclusion.

In the swamp, Gary the gator befriends Jerry, a cellphone who has fallen off a swamp boat.

Jerry offers Gary access to many wonders of the world, but Gary misses slowing down and enjoying his bayou life with his friends and family. In this colorful picture book, young readers will discover if Gary and Jerry can strike a good balance between modern technology and the simple life.

Petit Pierre has made a home for himself on the coast where Louisiana meets Mississippi, and now it is time for him to learn how to plunge-dive. Brown pelicans typically pick up this behavior by watching others do it. Will a new friend help Pierre learn how to dive? Young readers will follow his progress and, along the way, find out more about Gulf of Mexico marine life.

Lucille St. Lewis and her family have just moved to Louisiana. When her new friends at school find out she’s never eaten boiled crawfish, she feels left out. Will she like these “mudbugs”? One thing is for certain—she won’t be needing a fork! In this fun picture book, young readers will enjoy witnessing Lucy’s introduction to a Bayou State staple.

Visit Florida from A to Z and discover that the state is more than just a vacationer’s dream. Throughout each brightly colored page, young readers will identify fun and familiar places, food, and activities while learning new words and concepts on their alphabetical journey of the Sunshine State. From alligators and egrets to mangroves and oranges, this friendly introduction to Florida’s weather, geography, and more will be rewarding to read and reread both in classrooms and at home. The state’s wildlife, flowers, landscapes, and more are captured in the breezy, balmy illustrations, which feature fun facts and a  picture search. 

Did you know that more than one thousand shipwrecks have been found off the Florida Keys? Or that the Florida panther, the state animal, can travel more than twenty miles in a single night? These fascinating Florida facts are just a few of the engaging concepts that children (and adults) will learn on their educational jaunt through America’s southernmost state. A list of Florida state symbols completes this delightfully rhyming primer.

Surrounded by the waters of the Mississippi, the blooming magnolias, and the buzzing mosquitoes, a solitary raccoon made his home in a cypress trunk.

As yet another Christmas approached with no friends to share the holiday season, Roux vowed to make a change. He built a tall bonfire, in the Cajun tradition, in hopes that Papa Noel would see the warm light of the flames on his Christmas Eve flight. 

Roux tucked himself into bed that cold, lonely night with not an inkling that Santa would indeed stop by his swampy abode. The jolly man in red brought gifts for the raccoon who had been nice all year, but gifts, he knew, were not what would bring little Roux cheer. As Santa set off to continue his Christmas Eve rounds, he scoured the bayous and towns for what would make Roux’s holiday complete. Can Santa find the perfect present to save Roux’s Christmas? 

This heartwarming story about the power of hope and the magic of friendship is sure to brighten your holiday reading. Children will enjoy this story of an unlikely friendship set in the southern swamps that references customs and traditions familiar to the littlest Cajuns. A recipe for Roux’s Bayou Stew completes this special tale.

Within these colorful pages, it’s Carnival time all year long!

A young storyteller relives the memories from her most recent Mardi Gras, describing ladders on the neutral ground and the perennial favorite of a fried chicken meal on the parade route. From a streetcar ride on Twelfth Night, she rolls on through Fat Tuesday and meets Mardi Gras Indians and revels in king cake and the music of a marching band, capturing all the highlights of a local’s Mardi Gras season. Who can forget spray string and stink bombs, the cotton candy cart, masking in the streets, and flambeaux lighting the way for night parades? As she Mardi Gras mambos and dances in the streets, she calls out for friends and relatives riding on floats to throw her something a little extra special.

This homage in verse captures a true local’s version of a family-friendly Mardi Gras and celebrates a city’s joy in its traditions. Children will find similarities between their own Carnival experiences and reflect on their own family’s customs. For those new to the festivities, the images—saturated with all things purple, green, and gold—will introduce visitors and newcomers alike to the real Mardi Gras. The celebration is so much more than a party and parades. It’s a holiday steeped in the culture of New Orleans and the joie de vivre of families and friends who come together during a special time of year to share in the revelry.

Sing along with the Carnival version of the favored nursery rhyme “The Wheels on the Bus.” This playful parody entertains with festive flair, as during Mardi Gras, it’s not a bus but a decorated float brimming with beads that delight the youngest parade-goers. Through engaging art and fun prose, children are transported to the parade route, enchanted by the magical sights and scenes of the season. 

Excitement fills every page! Tractors honk to the crowds as they pass, pulling the floats all Mardi Gras long. As beads fly through the air and crowds cheer, “Throw me something, mister!” drums boom and dance teams twirl. The best of a young reveler’s favorite Carnival parades are all found here. Join in the fun as the floats roll all through the town!

The rhythmic flow of the verse and colorful illustrations immerse readers in the joyous and culturally rich experience of Mardi Gras. Perfect for read-aloud sessions and interactive story times, this whimsical yet educational introduction to the Carnival celebration is an ideal addition to preschools, library shelves, and home collections. 

It’s Christmas time in Louisiana! This year Elise and her mother are traveling from New Orleans to join her family in Natchitoches to celebrate the season in a very special way.

Along north Louisiana’s Cane River, holiday traditions include parades—even a boat parade!—along the river and a Christmas festival with arts and crafts and carolers singing. The light-bedecked city of Natchitoches enchants Elise. Christmas lights blink from every lamppost and storefront. The twinkling colors are reflected in the river, and fireworks light up the sky. The sugary scent of funnel cakes and cotton candy saturates the evening breeze. But Elise’s favorite holiday treat is the famous Natchitoches meat pie that Maw-Maw sells at her festival booth every year. Can you guess her secret ingredient?

Natchitoches, Louisiana’s oldest city, has celebrated the Christmas season with a festival for a century. Today, the Natchitoches Christmas Festival lasts six weeks long and features hundreds of thousands of lights, days of entertainment for children and adults, and visits from Santa. And everyone’s favorite festival food? The Natchitoches meat pie, of course! The official recipe for this yummy snack concludes the tale of Elise’s family Christmas.

In Louisiana’s Cajun Country, a celebration like no other occurs each Mardi Gras. The families of Acadiana come together on Fat Tuesday to host a centuries-old tradition: the Courir de Mardi Gras. During the running of the Mardi Gras, brightly costumed participants run, beg, sing, and dance for their neighbors as they gather tasty ingredients for the gumbo that will be shared at a dance party under a shining Mardi Gras moon. 

But once upon a time, many years ago, the moon vanished, nearly putting an end to the fais-do-do! A fiendish duo hooked the festive moon and towed it away, depriving the revelers of their purple, green, and gold moonbeams.

So young Leloup set off on a quest to recover the shining sentry. A sprinkling of familiar bayou characters and critters are scattered throughout this fairytale. Through teamwork, and some silly shenanigans, they help our hero as he returns the moon to its proper place in the Cajun sky, just in time to enjoy a celebratory gumbo and dance to some zydeco tunes. He might have even found some Mardi Gras treasure along the way!

Leloup’s story is full of fun references to the Acadian culture and is complete with a glossary of Cajun words, phrases, and places.

It is time for nap at Sassy’s house. But she is wide awake! Young readers will follow along as Sassy travels the state of Louisiana, enjoying music in New Orleans, picking strawberries in Ponchatoula, and touring the swamps. Wait, was she sleeping and dreaming the whole time?

Author Kathleen Welch, a member of the Core Committee for developing the Louisiana Alzheimer’s State Plan, and her husband, illustrator Alan McGillivray, provide a child’s perspective in their tale for little ones experiencing Alzheimer’s and dementia in their family. As the elder elephant and her young grandson spend the day together, she forgets her hat, loses her brush, gets lost, confuses her grandson’s name, and tells stories of things that happened long ago as if they just occurred. When danger threatens, her love for her family shines through the clouds of her memory and she remembers things she learned as a child. The author provides a guide to further discussion with young children and a resource list for families facing this devastating disease.

Gold/Honors Award Winner
National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Children’s Products
The Big Read 2010
Recommended Reading List for the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools

Based on a popular song adapted by the multi-award-winning New Orleans singer-songwriter Johnette Downing, Today Is Monday in Louisiana rhythmically takes readers through a culinary calendar, describing a Louisiana meal a day. Now adapted to board book format for tiny hands, each page presents collaged images of yummy foods. On Monday there are red beans to eat and on Tuesday, po’ boys. On Wednesday gumbo is served, and on it goes, each day bringing another unique and tasty Louisiana dish to share.

Get ready to stomp and chomp to that mambo beat! When carnival time rolls into New Orleans, these hip dinosaurs want to boogie on down. Iguanodon wiggles to the music of a marching band, while Zigongosaurus dances zydeco and Pterodactyal swoops into the crowd. From singing tunes and tossing beads, these big beasts sure know how to party. Laissez les bon temps rugir!