Storytime with Johnette Downing and Heather Stanley
October 7 • 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Join us upstairs Saturday, October 7th at 11 am for storytime with Johnette Downing!
We will be celebrating the release of her newest picture book, My Parrain is the Loup Garou!
Ms. Downing will be joined by illustrator, Heather Stanley
This event is free and open to the public.
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.
The recipient of the Louisiana Writer Award, Johnette Downing is a musician, author, illustrator, and poet dedicated to sharing her Louisiana roots with children. The author of thirty books and twelve recordings, Johnette has performed concerts, author visits, and educator workshops on five continents. A former early-childhood music teacher, she is passionate about combining music and stories to celebrate childhood, culture, and literacy. Downing lives in New Orleans, Louisiana and Newburyport, Massachusetts with her husband Scott.
Heather Stanley’s illustrations and designs are inspired by animals and the natural wonders of our world. Stanley received a BFA from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and an MFA from Radford University in Virginia. Stanley is the Director of Creative Services at Audubon Nature Institute and uses her talents to educate people about nature and wildlife. This is the third book she has illustrated with Johnette Downing. Stanley was raised in Louisiana and lives near New Orleans with her family.
