cover image Feliciana Feydra LeRoux: A Cajun Tall Tale

Feliciana Feydra LeRoux: A Cajun Tall Tale

Tynia Thomassie, Cat Bowman Smith. Little Brown and Company, $14.45 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-316-84125-2

Hooo! This picture book romp in the Louisiana swamps is one exhilarating outing. Spunky Feliciana is disappointed and angry when Grampa Baby won't allow her to go alligator-hunting with ``all the men-children'' in the family. She sneaks out in the middle of the night to follow them--and comes face-to-face with ``two red eyes, froze-fix in the light. The alligator!'' Grampa Baby and the boys happen on the scene just in time to see Feliciana outwit the green beast. This gal's moxie ensures her a place in Grampa Baby's boat for next time. Louisiana-born Thomassie's dialect is a delight to read aloud, and her balance of comedy and suspense is masterful. Smith's (Chester the Out-of-Work Dog) jaunty, bumpily shaped figures bounce with exuberance. Her watercolors are satisfyingly atmospheric, capturing moss, weeds and swamp water in the background. Kudos to the first-time author for including a note on Cajun culture and a ``recipe'' for a Cajun accent that every reader will want to roll around on his or her tongue. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)