Pelican Publishing Children's Books

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.

The Sherman family does not have very much, but they take good care of one another and are generous to others, making gingerbread cookies as holiday gifts and carefully decorating them to look like friends and neighbors. Then, one Christmas Eve, after the family returns home from delivering their gifts, and everyone falls fast asleep, something magical stirs, born in a star of snow, that will change their holiday, and their lives, forever. Inspired by a real rural tradition from the foothills of the Green Mountains, Enchanted Night Before Christmas is a timeless fantasy that reminds us the most powerful gifts are the ones we give away. (Includes a scrumptious gingerbread spice cookie recipe from King Arthur Baking Company.)

Playful, bouncing rhymes and bright, colorful illustrations guide young readers as they eat their way through the peachiest state in the nation. Pecan pie, fried chicken, shrimp and grits, okra, collard greens, BBQ, and every Georgia treat a child can desire fuel imaginations in this region-by-region tour of the Goober State. (Did you know a goober is a peanut?) During their exploration, children encounter history, landmarks, geography, and more. So sit back with a juicy peach and bag of hot boiled peanuts and get to know the greatest state around.

When Alycat's daydreaming causes her to miss out on Dessert Day at school, she will need to rely on her imagination to satisfy her sweet tooth! With the help of her best friend Spotty, she discovers that trying new things can lead to fun adventures and tasty inventions. A recipe is included at the end of the story to assist young readers in creating their own dessert.

The themes of the books in the Alycat Series all reflect a reliance on friendships, imagination, and creativity towards problem solving. The character traits of Alycat and her friends inspire and encourage young readers to find their own special gifts.

An original and entertaining delight from cover to cover, Alycat and the Thursday Dessert Day is especially recommended for family, preschool, elementary school, and community library collections. —Midwest Book Review

Alycat and the Thursday Dessert Day provides colorful, enticing illustrations to keep the young reader engaged throughout the book! —Independent Book Publishers Association

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The Alycat Series features: Alycat and the Thursday Dessert Day, Alycat and the Monday Blues, Alycat and the Friendship Friday, Alycat and the Tournament Tuesday, Alycat and the Cattywampus Wednesday, Alycat and the Sleepover Saturday, and Alycat and the Sunday Scaries. The books in this series have won more than 17 awards, including the NYC Big Book Award, the Mom's Choice Awards, and the Next Generation Indie Book Awards; have been featured in Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly; and have appeared in the Oscars celebrity swag bag and the Grammy Awards gift bag. Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, featured Bourque and her life-size mascot, Alycat, on her popular YouTube channel Little Red News.

There is a chef who loves to cook, and gumbo is on the menu!

Sing, clap, and spell along in this Louisiana twist on the classic B-I-N-G-O song.

With pots bubbling and aromas swirling, this catchy read-aloud serves up a flavorful helping of Louisiana culture, filled with rhythm, rhyme, and joyful repetition: G-U-M-B-O!

This book takes young readers on a sweet journey of baking and decorating a cake with Amy and her pup, Charlee.

Readers will be encouraged to use their imagination while learning about the basics of baking, handwashing, kitchen safety, and the joys of sharing in a fun way. A buttercream icing recipe is included for little chefs to create their own delicious treats.

Creole cooking with Grandma!

Bell peppers, shrimp, oysters, onions, and okra—Grandma stirs up these and other traditional fresh ingredients to create this special Southern dish. Add generous portions of rice and hot sauce with a handful of filé seasoning, and you’ve got a classic Creole gumbo! Now available as a board book, this delightful rhyming story features colorful collage-style illustrations surrounded by the charming and infectious poetic rhythm. Early readers and pre-readers alike will be enchanted as Grandma adds more and more items to her big black pot. Every ingredient plays an important part in the formation of this delicious dish, making it the tastiest treat in Louisiana. Bon appétit!

It's Mardi Gras time! Jacob is determined to catch his favorite throw, a MoonPie.

He devises a brilliant plan. Surely someone would throw a MoonPie to a fireman, or a pirate, or a kid dressed in Mardi Gras colors. But time and again his plan is foiled. Can Jacob move beyond discouragement and enjoy Mardi Gras?

How to Catch a MoonPie is a fun story for everyone who has let go of a dream, only to find a better one.

Parents and kids alike can relate to king cake and fun during the Mardi Gras season! Come along with the King Cake King on a tasty adventure as he finds the No. 1 dessert throughout Louisiana, from the French Quarter to down the bayou and everywhere in between!

"King cake continues to bring us together, no matter the place, the time, or the weather. You can eat it at home, or at a school party. It is very filling, satisfying, and hearty."

Gary the alligator and his little sister Mary had always been two peas in a pod, especially in the kitchen! However, growing up and growing apart leads to tough disagreements about what to make for dinner. Can the two young gators learn to work together in time for the annual Crawfish Cookoff?

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.

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.

A crazy Italian joint makes a tasty read! Reading in the mixed-up Italian restaurant is one of Jake's favorite things to do! Whether they play with food or dig into a good book, Jake and his uncle always have an amusing and delicious time. Juggling ravioli, bowling with mozzarella balls, or playing spaghetti pick-up sticks are just a few of the fun games Jake and his uncle invent. As much as Jake enjoys these culinary amusements, he could just as easily devour a good read. When his uncle's restaurant needs a neighbor, Jake must find the perfect fit. But who is willing to work next to such a crazy joint? Filled with reading, ravioli, and resolve, this is a story for any family who plays and reads together.

It’s time to make gumbo, but Greta’s dad needs groceries and her baby brother is fussy. As her frazzled dad shops for gumbo ingredients, he doesn’t notice when Greta, determined to calm her brother, summons the help of a hyperactive monkey, a curious rabbit, and a frozen penguin. The baby laughs. But when a grunting elephant and a lumbering bear cause chaos, the baby wails. Yikes! Can Greta calm the baby and help Dad get groceries for Greta’s gumbo? Imagination rules in this fun story for young readers.

When Mama Witch concocts a special Halloween soup for her Little Witch, she adds eye of newt, spit of bug, and hair of slug. But Little Witch turns up her tiny nose at the culinary creation. She prefers such sticky sweets as butter toffee, caramel dandy, and cotton candy. Can these picky eaters come to a compromise? Complete with a recipe for Halloween soup, this fun read is a treat for children and parents alike.