Petit Pierre is back at it again, and so are Heather Stanley and I in this sequel book to Petit Pierre and the Floating Marsh. Here is the sneak peek at the book cover for Petit Pierre and His Wild Adventure. In this adventure, Petit Pierre must learn the vital life skill for pelicans—plunge diving. Will he make it? Find out this fall 2024 when the book is released by Pelican Publishing.
Mardi Gras Deux-O!
$35.00 Original Price:$40.00
It’s Carnival Season and time to throw your young ones some Mardi Gras READS! This two book set introduces children to two culinary centerpieces of Carnival; the king cake in Who Got the Baby in the King Cake?, and gumbo in Mumbo Jumbo, Stay Out of the Gumbo. This set also teaches children about the two types of Mardi Gras in Louisiana, the grandeur of floats, kings and queens in New Orleans, and the rural Courir de Mardi Gras in Cajun country.
Mumbo Jumbo Has a New Cover!
Well, it was time for a reprint of my picture book Mumbo Jumbo, Stay Out of the Gumbo, illustrated by the amazing Jennifer Lindsley, and the publisher and art director (Pelican Publishing) thought it might be fun to give the cover more of a Mardi Gras feel. We also added the subtitle A Cajun Mardi Gras Tale, something I wished I had done before the first printing.
This book represented the State of Louisiana at the National Book Festival in Washington, D. C. in 2017, and Jennifer and I attended the event dressed in our Cajun Mardi Gras attire!
So, tah dah! Here is the new cover! The book is being printed as we speak and should be in stores in time for Mardi Gras season. You can preorder it now, and the books will be shipped when they arrive.
Happy very early Mardi Gras!
Book Trailer for My Parrain Is the Loup Garou!
Here is a little book trailer teaser in advance of the fall 2023 release!!!
Press Copy of My Parrain is the Loup Garou is in!
I received the press copy of my new book My Parrian Is the Loup Garou, and it looks so good! Heather Stanley’s bold illustrations really set the swampy mood for this original Cajun tall tale about a boy and his Godfather as they go on wild adventures together, perhaps too good to be true. Books should be in by mid-September, and will be available in time for my book signings for the book launch as follows:
Saturday, October 7, 2023
11:00 AM 12:30 PM
Blue Cypress Books, 8123 Oak Street, New Orleans, LA, 70118
Saturday, October 14, 2023
11:00 AM 12:30 PM
Garden District Books, 2727 Prytania Street, New Orleans, LA, 70130
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Time TBA
Louisiana Book Festival, State Library of Louisiana, 701 North 4th Street, Baton Rouge, LA, 70802
You can also pre-order copies on my website , through Amazon, or through the two bookstores listed above.
I hope to see you there!
My Parrain is the Loup Garou Book Cover Reveal!
South Louisiana folktales are as unique as they are colorful and Johnette Downing, with expressive illustrations by Heather Stanley, crafts a tale of the loup garou in a delightful way that children of all ages will enjoy.
-Cheré Dastugue Coen, Food & travel writer, and author of Exploring Cajun Country
I have a new book coming out this fall with illustrator Heather Stanley through Pelican Publishing, and as promised, I am revealing the cover to you, my subscribers, first! Heather and I have two other books together (Petit Pierre and the Floating Marsh and Mademoiselle Grands Doigts), and in this book, she really captured the boldness and wildness of my Cajun tall tale My Parrain is the Loup Garou.
This familial love story between a child and his godfather is my 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 are sure to make children laugh, and hopefully wildly dream.
The book will be released in fall 2023, and there are already two events scheduled:
Saturday, October 7 at 11:00-1:00, Blue Cypress Books, 8123 Oak St, New Orleans, LA
Saturday, October 28, Time TBA, Louisiana Book Festival, State Library of Louisiana, downtown Baton Rouge, LA
Pre-order your copy today for a fall 2023 delivery at
Or contact retailers@arcadiapublishing.com
Spring Festivals Bloom!
Spring Festivals Bloom!
Spring is nearly here and it’s time to shake a tail feather at upcoming festivals!
Spring Public Concert Dates
• March 2 at 11:00, Concert, New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, Dutch Alley, French Market
• March 11 at TBA - Concert and Book Signing, New Orleans Book Festival, Tulane University
• April 6 at 11:00, Concert, New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, Dutch Alley, French Market
• April 16 at 12:15, Concert, French Quarter Festival, National Park Service Stage, French Quarter, New Orleans
• April 30 at TBA, Concert, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Kids Stage, New Orleans Fairgrounds
May
• May 4 at 11:00, Concert, New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, Dutch Alley, French Market
New Book This Fall!
I am howling with happiness to announce that I have a new picture book coming out this fall titled My Parrain is the Loup Garou! The book is illustrated by Heather Stanley (we have three books together now), and published by Pelican Publishing.
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.
Book cover reveal to follow!
Photo: Illustrator Heather Stanley and I sitting on an oil rig exhibit at the Audubon Zoo for some silly reason I am sure.
New Paperback!
My Down in Louisiana book, illustrated by Deborah Ousley Kadair Thomas, is now available in a paperback edition! This “singable” counting book highlights Louisiana animals and their habitats. The song is also available to download in my website digital music Store!
Music News
My Jumpin’ Jitters, It’s Halloween album was released digitally on streaming platforms in October, 2022, and, after several holiday delays, it is now at the manufacturer to be released as a physical CD this spring. The pre-orders will be shipped as soon as they arrive. The album contains fourteen original and traditional slightly spooky, mostly silly holiday songs.
For some reason, I have always been good at finding four leaf clovers. I have dozens of them tucked away in my haiku notebooks because I typically carry a haiku notebook wherever I go. The trick is to look for the odd pattern in the patch, which in this case is the even number four! Four is the odd one out of the many threes. This spring, I hope you take time to enjoy the flowers, sink your toes into the grass, and be grateful that you are here to witness this one beautiful life. - Johnette
“A flower blooms for its own joy.” - Oscar Wilde