Little Red Riding Hood lives in the hearts of many—instilling in children everywhere a fear of cloaks and big, bad wolves, of course! Way down south in Louisiana there lives a girl named Clotilde, but everyone calls her Petite Rouge because of the beautiful cloak she wears.
One day, Petite Rouge hurries through the swamp on her pirogue to bring her sick grandmère some soothing shrimp étouffée. Along the way she meets a friendly gator, the one her mother always warned her about: Taille-Taille. Polite and well-spoken, Taille-Taille’s behavior belies the fact that all he wants to do is gobble up Rouge, and her hood, too!
Petite Rouge and her grandmère are both fooled, but they come out whole and unharmed when the local shrimpers cut open dat der gator belly. What do they do with Taille-Taille? They cook him into a sauce piquante and fais do do the night away! Sound fun? You can make your own Alligator Sauce Piquante. Just follow the recipe at the end of the tale and bon appetite! Full of Cajun words and phrases, accompanying definitions, and a pronunciation guide, Petite Rouge: A Cajun Twist to an Old Tale will teach children a petite peu about Cajun culture.
About the Author
A former teacher who makes frequent school appearances, Sheila Hébert-Collins proudly claims a heritage that is completely Cajun. A native of Abbeville, Louisiana, Hébert-Collins combined her love and pride of her culture with her love of children’s literature to create unique, Cajun fairy tales. Because of her talent, she is featured on the Louisiana State Artist Roster as an author and Cajun storyteller. She has also written Cendrillon: A Cajun Cinderella, Blanchette et Les Sept Petits Cajuns: A Cajun Snow White, Jacques et La Canne à Sucre: A Cajun Jack and the Beanstalk, Jolie Blonde and the Three Héberts: A Cajun Twist to an Old Tale, Les Trois Cochons, and ‘T Pousette et ‘T Poulette: A Cajun Hansel and Gretel, all published by Pelican.
About the Illustrator
Alison Davis Lyne is a freelance illustrator who has worked on various picture books and covers for American Small Farm magazine. She is the portrait artist for the Kentucky Commission on Women’s Kentucky Women Remembered exhibit, permanently on display in the state capitol rotunda. She also illustrated Easter Day Alphabet, Kudzu Chaos, G Is for Grits: A Southern Alphabet, and other titles published by Pelican.
PETITE ROUGE
A Cajun Twist to an Old Tale
By Sheila Hébert-Collins
Illustrated by Alison Davis Lyne
JUVENILE FICTION / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Adaptations
JUVENILE FICTION / People & Places / United States / General
32 pp. 8 1/2 x 11
31 illus.
Ages 5-8 Grades K-3
ISBN: 9781589806023