Feliciana Meets D'Loup Garou: A Cajun Tall Tale (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Cat Bowman Smith (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cajun color sparks this spirited follow-up to Feliciana Feydra LeRoux, which introduced the spunky Louisiana heroine and her family. Setting the tale in her native state, Thomassie knits together elements of its lore and bogeyman legend to create this original tall tale about a half-man half-wolf swamp creature?loup garou?that preys on naughty children. When Feliciana has a bad day, acting "crankier than a soft-shell crab" and ultimately butchering one of her pigtails to spite her brother, ti-Jacques, he threatens, "Loup Garou's gonna come lookin' fo' you." During the night, Feliciana hears loud howls outside and, thinking ti-Jacques is trying to scare her, she follows the noise into the swamp. There she discovers?and bravely confronts?the true Loup Garou, who turns out to be not so bad. Suffused with a snappy dialect (explained with a glossary and pronunciation key), Thomassie's text possesses the easy yet suspenseful pace of a good campfire yarn. Feliciana's bold, plucky personality will be a surefire hit with girls everywhere and the larger-than-life descriptions of Louisiana may spur in some readers a curiosity about geography. Smith's wiry, kinetic paintings deftly capture Feliciana's feisty, fidgety movements and facial expressions. Her dark and mossy renderings of a moonlit swamp and the hairy, toothy bugbear are ominous without being too scary for young readers. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4?Feliciana Feydra LeRoux (Little, Brown, 1995) is back, and this time the spirited Cajun heroine tackles the werewolf of the Louisiana swamps?the dreaded Loup Garou, who is reputed to eat bad children for dinner. After being "in a snit" all day, Feliciana impulsively cuts off one of her pigtails on a dare from her brother. They are both grounded while everyone else goes to "d'fais do-do" in town. Later that night, Feliciana investigates a howling in the swamp and bumps into the Loup Garou, who is every bit as scary looking as he has been described. However, after some skirmishing, the two find much in common, and the monster shares his method for getting past a bad day?howling at the moon. Thomassie and Smith have the Cajun atmosphere down pat?every aspect of the book looks and sounds authentic. The pictures sing with humor and life, the Loup Garou looks fearsome but vulnerable, and the intrepid Feliciana makes an appealing protagonist. There is a "Recipe for a Cajun Accent" on the back cover for the uninitiated, a brief word on the history of the Cajuns at the beginning, and a pronunciation guide, adding up to a thorough immersion in Cajun culture. Because of a couple of pretty scary pictures of the Loup Garou, the book is not for the faint-hearted, but for primary-grade children, it's a real winner!?Judith Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company (October 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158980287X
• ISBN-13: 978-1589802872
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 9.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,413,657 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A strong heroine and a really fun read., January 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Feliciana Meets D'Loup Garou: A Cajun Tall Tale (Hardcover)

My three-year-old son and I have enjoyed reading this story aloud, with its lilting Cajun language (and instructions on how to imitate a Cajun accent!) He is now quoting lines like "Shoo! I don't need the heartburn, chere!" with gusto. The story, which revolves around Feliciana (a girl with gumption) being really bad one day, resolves nicely, with her taming the Loup Garou (a werewolf, very charming) and her own temper. A strong heroine and a fun read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Our 5th grade class loved the humor and Cajun flavor!, April 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Feliciana Meets D'Loup Garou: A Cajun Tall Tale (Hardcover)

Feliciana, a high-spirited Cajun girl, is having a bad day, and she's egged on by her teasing brothers. She has to stay home and miss a big party because she's SOOOOOOO bad. Along comes the loup garou, the werewolf that eats bad children! What will happen? Feliciana and the readers will be surprised. Our 5th grade class loved this because of its humor, its depiction of the Cajun family in the bayou, and the Cajun language and tall tale storytelling. We recommend this book to adults and children ages 6 and up.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Free-spirited romp through the swamp, August 20, 2002

By	loce_the_wizard "loce_the_wizard" (Lilburn, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Feliciana Meets D'Loup Garou: A Cajun Tall Tale (Hardcover)

Feliciana Feydra Leroux is a free-spirited, handful of trouble and sass. When her vinegary attitude gets her, and by implication one of her brothers, grounded while her family is out for a Saturday night of eating and dancing and music, trouble seems inevitable. Warned against a Cajun werewolf, known as D'Loup Garou, Feliciana huddles under her covers after hearing something strange outside the house.

But once Feliciana has convinced herself that the howling she heard was only her brother trying to get back at her, she fearlessly chases after whatever it is running through the swamp.

D'Loup Garou springs out, ready for a nice meal, but Feliciana has more than a few things to say until this seemingly mismatched pair learn that they are more alike than either suspected.

The illustrations are delightfully rendered, and the Cajun dialect is fun to tackle, even if you feel like your tongue has suddenly swollen as you try, perhaps in vain, to sound the part.