Little Pierre: A Cajun Story from Louisiana (Hardcover)

by Robert D. San Souci (Author), David Catrow (Illustrator) "In the old days, ogres, gators, and rou garous-werewolves-haunted the bayous of Lousianne..." (more)
Key Phrases: Little Pierre, Big Pierre, Fat Pierre (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4-An enjoyable tale of a Cajun Tom Thumb, perfectly paired with Catrow's lush watercolor paintings. In a classic story of a triumphant underdog, Little Pierre is disparaged as a "runt" by his four older brothers but, of course, he is ultimately the one who figures out how to rescue Marie-Louise and effect the whole group's escape from the Swamp Ogre. San Souci may have done plenty of homework, referring to nearly a dozen sources he cites, but his use of dialect is inconsistent. The illustrations are superlative. Starting with the cover plate, Catrow's dense blending of color evokes the sticky humidity of the swamp scenes, with enough detail buried in the foliage to invite and reward close examination. The whimsical caricatures of Pierre and his brothers effectively portray their personalities and emotional reactions throughout the adventure, and the Swamp Ogre is perfectly disgusting and monstrous.
Sean George, Memphis-Shelby County Public Library & Information Center, Memphis, TN
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
When Tom Thumb, the diminutive star of European folklore, emigrated to Louisiana, he was reborn among Cajun storytellers as Ti-Poucet (the "ti" comes from the French "petit" or "small"). This frisky retelling casts the tiny fellow as Little Pierre, brother to the entertainingly lazy and witless crew of Big Pierre, Fat Pierre, Wise Pierre and Foolish Pierre. Dreaming of reward money, the older boys hatch a plan to free Marie-Louise, the daughter of a rich man, who has been kidnapped by a dangerously "tricksy" swamp ogre, so they won't have to work. When Fat Pierre points out that they don't work now, Wise Pierre offers this pearl: "When you rich,... you can hire folks to not do work for you. Then you can not do twice as much as you ain't done before. That's rit-ma-tick." Plans go awry, of course, and it falls to brainy Little Pierre to rescue his bungling brothers and Marie-Louise. San Souci (The Talking Eggs) and Catrow (Plantzilla) communicate sheer delight in the tale's zany hyperbole. The Cajun dialect and funny colloquialisms seem organic to San Souci's cadenced storytelling, while Catrow's mottled, high-wattage watercolors ratchet up the absurdity with grossly exaggerated caricatures. While the brothers exhibit delectable dim-bulb features like vacant expressions and gravity-defying pompadours, jug-eared Little Pierre resembles a young (yet still balding) Ross Perot. Ages 5-8. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information. (Publishers Weekly )

Grade 1-4-An enjoyable tale of a Cajun Tom Thumb, perfectly paired with Catrow's lush watercolor paintings. In a classic story of a triumphant underdog, Little Pierre is disparaged as a "runt" by his four older brothers but, of course, he is ultimately the one who figures out how to rescue Marie-Louise and effect the whole group's escape from the Swamp Ogre. San Souci may have done plenty of homework, referring to nearly a dozen sources he cites, but his use of dialect is inconsistent. The illustrations are superlative. Starting with the cover plate, Catrow's dense blending of color evokes the sticky humidity of the swamp scenes, with enough detail buried in the foliage to invite and reward close examination. The whimsical caricatures of Pierre and his brothers effectively portray their personalities and emotional reactions throughout the adventure, and the Swamp Ogre is perfectly disgusting and monstrous. Sean George, Memphis-Shelby County Public Library & Information Center, Memphis, TN Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. (School Library Journal )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Silver Whistle; 1 edition (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152024824
• ISBN-13: 978-0152024826
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 10.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #584,857 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun for the whole family., April 17, 2009

By	Jena Winston "Jena" - See all my reviews

I purchased this book for my son, Pierre, and he loves it. It is sooooo funny and fun to read. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good fable.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, November 10, 2006

By	K. Ellsworth (Bay Area, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is such a cute story and fun pictures. My boys age 3 and 7 really liked it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss this wonderful Cajun folktale!, February 7, 2004

By	"sluken3" (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews

Based on the stories of Poucet and Ti-Poucet from the oral tradition in Louisiana, this is a retelling of Tom Thumb in a Louisiana setting. In addition, readers will recognize folktale elements from Hansel and Gretel and the Three Billy Goats Gruff.

San Souci captures the essence of the Louisiana Cajun setting and diction as he relates this story of the youngest child who saves his bungling brothers from the terrible swamp ogre and the life of Marie Louise, the daughter of the richest man in the area. As justice would have it, Little Pierre married Marie Louise and received the reward from her rich father which allowed them to purchase a farm so that they could make a successful life for themselves. And the lazy brothers received their justice also, as they had to stay at home to help their parents.

San Souci also provides a pronunciation guide and glossary of Cajun words on the back of the title page and an author's note in which he traces the various versions of the story he consulted in retelling his story. David Catrow's illustrations capture the lush swamp setting as well as the humor of the characters.