Mais, jamais d'la vie!: Petite Rouge by Sheila Hebert-Collins

Hi there!

Welcome back to the Saturday edition of Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

I'm thinking of starting something new like "Storybook Saturday" in the near future.  Stay tuned for the final decision but in the mean time, I'm christening TODAY as Storybook Saturday with a look inside a fairytale with a cajun twist.  It comes to us from the folks over at Pelican Publishing and stars a well known character in a familiar story, but a whole world away.  Ready to meet today's featured title?  Well then, here we go! Today's book of choice is...

Petite Rouge

A Cajun Twist to an Old Tale

by

Sheila Hebert-Collins

Illustrated by

Alison Davis Lyne

Pelican Publishing

978158980623

This here is a DE-licious story just waiting to be devoured like her mother's shrimp etouffee!  It takes our familiar 'Little Red' and gives her an every day persona by the name of Clotilde.  Of course for the story to continue a sick grandmother must appear and sure enough, grandmere just happens to be, but she doesn't live in the woods, but in the swamp.  Tricky for a wolf to navigate, right?  Good thing the trickster here is a gator names Taille-Taille, or rather a BAD thing!  Grandmother, what big TEETH you have takes on a WHOLE other meaning when staring down the mouth of a scaly green reptile set on making you the main course of his nightly repast.  *gulp*

The tale comes alive both in picture and word.  The colorful palette used in each full page illustrated spread promises readers a visual experience they will remember.  Word wise, the Cajun sprinkled throughout takes your tongue on a twisty ride through the swamp and back again.  As Odelia and Clotilde prepare the basket for grandmere, we learn about trawlers and Mouton.  When Petite Rouge travels to grandmere's, we discover how handy a pirogue can truly be.   By book's end, you'll be throwing your own fais do do yelling viens ici to all those within hear shot to celebrate the spicy new additions to your vocabulary.  

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So, if you're a fan of the classic Little Red, I highly recommend you try this one on for size!  It'll bring a smile to your face and a twang to your tongue, but there's a good time to be had by all within.  Special thanks to Bergen at Pelican Publishing for the review copy.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title as well as their growing catalog, be sure to stop by their official site.  This title is available now, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time...C'est tout...and happy reading!