The Gigantic Sweet Potato book, paper bag sweet potato, and cardboard roll mouse

“As cherubs get ready to go to school this fall, show how much fun they can have with learning – and teamwork – with The Gigantic Sweet Potato. Adapted from a Russian folktale, “The Giant Turnip,” Harvey author-storyteller Dianne de Las Casas brings us another charming read-aloud with Louisiana roots, literally. Ma Farmer enlists the help of her hubby and animals big and small to help her with a particularly troublesome sweet potato. Illustrator Marita Gentry of Walker creates a colorful world with clues of what comes next. “Sweet Potato Fun Facts” might even help get picky eaters to eat their veggies. Or you could make a pie with the included recipe, of course.” – New Orleans Magazine, August 2010

Mama's Bayou by Dianne de Las Casas, Illustrated by Holly Stone-Barker

Book Review of Mama’s Bayou by Menasha Public Library, Wisconsin

Take a sound-filled tour through the bayou as the animals that live there prepare to sleep. Using the repeated phrase of “Mama’s by you on the bayou,” the book moves from animal to animal offering the sounds they make. Crickets chirp, frogs slurp, snakes hiss, mosquitoes (skeeters) buzz, and more. Every few pages, there is a double-spread given over just to the accumulated noises of the animals. These small breaks in the pattern of the book keep it from being too rhythmic and also give readers a place to pause and consider the noises of the night.

De Las Casas has written a book that is a lullaby directly from the bayou to you. Her use of repetition is nicely done. Also the cumulative nature of the animal noises makes for a fun read. Stone-Barker’s illustrations are done in cut paper collages. The papers have dimension and texture, offering a depth that is exciting. She also uses deep colors of night very successfully.

A lovely way to celebrate the sounds of the night whether listening to the mosquitoes in the bayou or all the way north in Wisconsin. We do have fewer alligators though. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

http://kidslit.menashalibrary.org/2010/03/31/mamas-bayou/

Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach

Book Review of Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach
By Kim Ranjbar
NewOrleans.com

One of the most difficult adjustments I have had to make since moving to New Orleans is the proliferation of roaches. In California, I had seen the pencil-eraser-sized German cockroaches, but never in my life had I been exposed to what is called a “palmetto.” These enormous cockroaches grow as large as 1 1/2 inches in length (I swear I’ve seen larger), form wings in adulthood (oh yes, they can fly) and are considered one of the fastest running insects. In a study at UC Berkeley in 1991, they were clocked at a record speed of 3.4 mph! I can’t tell you how many times palmettos have eluded my attempts to stomp them to death, only to scurry off into an invisible crack underneath my kitchen cabinets.

Never did I expect to find a children’s book about roaches, but not too long ago I discovered Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach by Dianne de Las Casas, author of The Cajun Cornbread Boy. She is a local writer and recording artist, residing in Harvey, Louisiana who has received critical acclaim from the American Library Association and is a performer at arts-in-education programs all over the state.

When I saw the cover of Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach, I couldn’t help but be tickled by a children’s book relating a tale between a chicken and a cockroach. As the story goes, Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach were once great friends who lived together in harmony, foraging for food and generally enjoying one another’s company. One day, Madame Poulet arises from bed early (as usual) and goes into Monsieur Roach’s bedroom to wake him to go and find more food. Monsieur Roach begins to moan and tells Madame Poulet that he is too sick to help. Madame Poulet, concerned about her good friend, tells him to stay in bed and get some rest so he can get better.

As soon as Madame Poulet leaves the house, what does that rascally roach do? He invites over all his cockroach friends to party, crying “Laissez le bon temps rouler!” After several days of feigning sick and throwing parties while Madame Poulet is gone, Monsieur Roach finally gets caught when Madame Poulet comes home early. Both her food and friend problems end in one fateful snap of her beak as she swallows up Monsieur Roach and all of his friends.

This folk tale is really well done with wonderful rhyming and repetition, something I deem invaluable for children’s stories, especially when reading aloud. The illustrations, by Marita Gentry, are bright and colorful, perfect for story-time page turning.

Best of all, I’ve learned that now, all I need to do to sort out anymore cockroach problems is to get myself a chicken!

Link to the article

Madame Poulet & Monsieur Roach

Book Review by the Well-Read Child Blog
Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach by Dianne de Las Casas, illustrated by Marita Gentry

Growing up in the rich storytelling country of the Appalachians, I latched on to stories and folktales when I was very young. There’s something quite magical about listening to someone tell you a story, and I especially love to hear retellings of old classics I heard when I was a child. That’s why when Pelican Publishing sent a copy of Dianne de Las Casas’s The Cajun Cornbread Boy, a retelling of the Gingerbread Boy, it became a fast favorite in our house. In fact, my daughter asks me to read it to her often and even makes me chase her while she says, “Run, run as fast as you can. You can’t catch me. I’m full of cayenne.”

So, when Pelican sent a copy of Dianne de Las Casas’s newest book, Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach, we were eager to crack it open. Set in New Orleans back in the day when chickens and roaches were friends, Madame Poulet (a chicken) and Monsieur Roach (a roach of course) were best friends. They live together and are supposed to forage for food together, but lazy Monsieur Roach decides to pretend to be sick and invites all of his roach friends over for a marvelous fête while Madame Poulet is out looking for food. When Madame Poulet catches on, she gets a bit of revenge, and it’s the end of friendships between chickens and roaches forever.

This is the kind of story that is meant to be read and acted out loud. You absolutely have to sing the song that the roaches sing while Madame Poulet is out (set to the tune of “La Cucharacha”). While the story is mostly set inside the New Orleans house of Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach, Marita Gentry’s illustrations give you colorful glimpses of New Orleans as Madame Poulet goes about her day foraging for food. With words and phrases like fete, madame, monsieur, and “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” seamlessly sprinkled throughout, you get a sense of the city’s Cajun culture. A glossary in the back defines all of the French words that are in the book.

This is the type of story you can really have fun with. Kids will laugh, especially at the stomach-turning ending.

Reading Level: Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Pelican Publishing (September 8, 2009) |
ISBN-13: 978-1589806863 | Source: Review copy from publisher

11-11-09 Acadiana LifeStyle cover

Friends:

Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach was the Acadiana LifeStyle’s book editor’s pick for a children’s book to give during the holidays. Yay! Here is the review…

11-11-09 Review of Madame Poulet in Acadiana LifeStyle

Christmas Books are Very Special
And Here are Some Suggestions for Giving
By Ray Saadi – Book Editor

Madame Poulet & Monsieur Roach
By Dianne de Las Casas
Illustrations by Marita Gentry
Pelican $15.95

Here’s a book even Dads will enjoy reading to the kids. Seems Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach were such good friends they decided to share a lovely house together and to forage for their food together. But that rascally roach pretended to be sick whenever Madame Poulet asked him to come along and help forage. Finally, Madame became suspicious and discovered Monsieur’s treachery and she dealt with him… oops, sorry, I won’t spoil the ending.

9-14-09 Eliana with Stone Pizza by Susan K. Mitchell

Stone Pizza
By Susan K. Mitchell
Illustrated By McNevin Hayes
Picture Book Ages 3-9
ISBN: 9781891795268

This story is about a coyote and other hungry desert animals. Coyote wants stone pizza. When he says he wants stone pizza, the other animals peek out of their hiding places. First coyote says that he needs some flour. A raccoon offers flour to the coyote, in return for a slice of stone pizza. The coyote keeps asking for pizza ingredients and the animals continue to give him the ingredients if he promises to share his pizza. Once the stone pizza is ready to eat, the stubborn horn toad offers a cricket to put on the stone pizza. The coyote tells the horn toad to save it for his slice of stone pizza. When it is finished, all the animals eat the stone pizza. The illustrations by McNevin Hayes are fun and bright. My favorite part of the book is the end when Horn Toad says, “I bet we can use that stone to make Prickly Pear Pie.” Coyote says, “Let’s get cookin!” Stone Pizza a great book to teach teamwork, sharing, and friendship.

Review by Eliana, 9 years old, 4th grade

9-14-09 Eliana with Great Games by Matthew Toone

Great Games: 175 Games & Activities for Families, Groups & Children
By Matthew Toone
All Ages
ISBN: 9780979834554

Great Games is a brand new book and an excellent resource for together time! Low-cost, easy-to-implement games are grouped into indoor and outdoor family and group games, and indoor and outdoor children’s games. Games like “Fo Shizzle My Nizzle,” “Grocery Store ABC Game,” and “I Have Never” keep group games fast-paced and full of raucous laughter. Simple, traditional games such as “Hide & Seek,” “Musical Chairs,” and “Red-Rover Red-Rover” remind grown-ups of the childhood games they need to play with their children. There are even modern updates of family favorites such as “Digital Scavenger Hunt” and “Modified Horseshoes.” Matthew Toone provides easy-to-understand instructions with simple spot illustrations. Great Games is perfect for promoting teamwork, health competition, and good sportsmanship. With the high cost of outside entertainment (movies, theme parks, and entertainment complexes), group game night is just the right prescription for recession blues. Fun doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. For a mere $16, you can entertain an entire group for days with the fun games inside Great Games.
http://www.greatgamesbook.com

Reviewed by: Dianne de Las Casas

9-14-09 Eliana with The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

The Magician’s Elephant
By Kate DiCamillo
Middle Grade Novel Ages 9-12
ISBN: 9780763644109

From beloved Newbery author Kate Dicamillo comes a moving story about unexpected magic, the power of dreams, and importance of family. Peter can hardly believe it when a fortuneteller tells him that yes, his sister is alive and that the elephant will lead the way. How can an elephant’s sudden appearance in an opera house change Peter’s life forever? A remarkable chain of events involves the intertwining lives of a magician, a noble woman, a manservant, a soldier, a policeman, a beggar, a dog, a nun, a sculptor, two children, and an elephant. Connected only by a thread of hope, they learn that sometimes, a simple truth can set you free and that love can bring people together.

Note: Kate DiCamillo is embarking on a nationwide tour to promote The Magician’s Elephant. Learn more on her website at http://www.katedicamillo.com/

Reviewed by: Dianne de Las Casas

9-14-09 Eliana with The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett

The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity
A Brixton Brothers Mystery
By Mac Barnett
Middle Grade Novel
ISBN: 9781416988106

Steve Brixton is obsessed with the Bailey Brothers, sibling sleuths who are the 1950s stars of fifty-eight detective books. After reading all their books, Steve is practically a detective himself. It all begins in the library. Without warning, a covert team of secret agent librarians begin hunting him down. Steve learns that he is in the midst of a national secret involving a stolen quilt. Wanted for a crime he didn’t commit, Steve must solve the mystery in a jiffy to clear his name before time and his library card run out. The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity is full of non-stop action and laugh out loud fun. Reluctant readers and adventure seekers will never look at the library the same way again. Available October 6, 2009.
http://www.brixtonbrothers.com

Reviewed by: Dianne de Las Casas

Dessert First
By Hallie Durand
Chapter Book Ages 7-10
ISBN: 9781416963851

Dessert is an intrepid girl from a quirky restaurant-owning family. For one thing, their restaurant has an Eiffel fondue tower! She is a child with flair (she writes her name with a cherry at the end), she has a dog named Chunky, and she marches to the beat of her own drum, convincing her mom that dessert should come first. When Lambert Elementary has a drive to build a tree house, Dessert has to make a worthy sacrifice to win the pledge money for her school. Then disaster strikes. Though she was told not to touch the special Double Decker Chocolate Bars (Grandma Reine’s secret recipe) in the refrigerator, she eats the whole box by herself. When Dessert’s mom finds out, she is beyond upset. To make matters worse, Dessert is tricked by her worst enemy to give up her most favorite thing in all the world – dessert! Can Dessert survive two weeks without dessert for the benefit of the Lambert Elementary Doody Drive AND find a way to make amends to her family for devouring all the Double Decker Chocolate Bars? Find out! This delicious debut novel from Hallie Durand is a tasty treat for young readers. Readers craving for more Dessert (and who doesn’t?), can look forward to the plucky girl’s adventures in future books.
http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Hallie-Durand

Reviewed by Dianne de Las Casas
August 2009