Laissez les Bon Temp Rouler! Carnival season is upon us in Louisiana! Attend a parade, eat some king cake, then stop by the Library to check out a book about our great state!

Youth
Toddlers will love this board book about Louisiana animals!

1 Five Little Possums by Johnette Downing
Five little possums are up in a tree making mischief and teasing Mr. Alligator. Will the possums make it home safely when Mr. Alligator gets upset?

Enjoy the unique Louisiana-inspired stories and illustrations in these picture books!

2 Trosclair and the Alligator by Peter Huggins
This fast-moving, rhyming adventure tells the story of young Trosclair who forgets something very important when he ventures out into the bayou…watch out for alligators! Will he be able to outwit the wily alligator and make it home safely?

3 My Aunt Came Back from Louisiane by Johnette Downing
The child telling this story has an aunt who loves Louisiana so much that she visits many times and brings back lots of special treats! Who doesn’t love presents? Repetitive, singable, and fun, this picture book highlights treasures from all over Louisiana. This upbeat adaptation of a classic folk song is a fun way to talk about the wonderful things that make
Louisiana special.

4 I Am Ruby Bridges by Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges made history at six years old when she became the first African-American child to attend an all-white elementary school in New Orleans, LA. Ruby tells her story in this biographical picture book about the monumental event that changed the trajectory of the Civil Rights Movement in Louisiana.

A Louisiana pup tells his story in this chapter book for children reading on their own.

5 Rascal: A Dog and His Boy by Ken Wells
Adventure awaits for a dog and his boy with a whole bayou as their playground! But when Rascal’s boy gets injured deep in the swamp, can Rascal find a way to rescue him…or will the creeping dangers of the swamp end their adventures forever? Kids will love this fun story told from the perspective of a dog and the rollicking pack of mutts that come to his aid!

TWEENS AND TEENS
Check out these books, all set in Louisiana, from the Acadians’ arrival to the upheaval of Hurricane Katrina.

1 Diary of Marie Landry by Stacy Demoran Allbritton
During the Great Upheaval of 1755, the British forced the Acadians to leave their homes in the Canadian provinces and later the American colonies. Fourteen-year-old Marie Landry joins her family and friends on a mass exodus from Maryland to Louisiana 10 years later, where land awaits them. Along the way, she notes her feelings of despair and hope through candid
diary entries.

2 Fiddle Fever by Sharon Doucet
Félix feels stifled by life on his family’s farm in Louisiana, and after hearing his uncle play the fiddle, he decides that he wants to play the fiddle, too.

3 Locked in Time by Lois Duncan
Nore arrives at her stepmother’s Louisiana plantation to find her new family odd and an aura of evil and mystery about the place.

4 The Cottonmouth Club by Lance Marcum
Forced to spend his summer vacation with relatives in Louisiana, 12-year-old Mitch Valentine finds himself a candidate for the Cottonmouth Club when he and a group of local boys become involved in secretive outdoor activities.

5 Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans by Don Brown
This book’s art and as-it-happens narrative capture both the tragedy and triumph of one of the worst natural disasters in American history.

6 Between Two Skies by Joanne O’Sullivan
After Hurricane Katrina changes the life of 16-year-old Evangeline Riley, she finds strength and love amid the destruction and pain.