© Rick Olivier

Biography

Recipient of the 2017 Louisiana Writer Award, Johnette Downing is a musician, author, illustrator, and haiku poet dedicated to sharing her Louisiana roots music and books with children across the globe. Called the “Musical Ambassador to Children” by the media, Downing has performed on five continents and has received numerous awards for her 30 books and 12 recordings. My Parrain is the Loup Garou is illustrated by Heather Stanley and published by Pelican Publishing.

Schedule

Schedule to be posted here when available.

My Parrain Is the Loup Garou

This familial love story between a child and his godfather is my first original Cajun tall tale, and it is peppered with exaggerated colloquial vernacular to create humor and warmth especially when read aloud. Like children on the playground, the child boasts to the reader about his Parrain’s superhuman strength and wolf-like qualities as proof that the godfather is in fact the legendary mythical creature, the Loup Garou. As playmates, the child and the Parrain set out on magical adventures, perhaps too good to be true.

The vivid colors and bold brush strokes in Heather Stanley’s illustrations set a swampy tone and blur the lines between fact and fantasy. This lighthearted twist to the often dark oral traditions of the Cajun werewolf is sure to make children laugh, and hopefully wildly dream.