From the award-winning creators of Ice Cream Man and Good Things comes a journey through the mystical world of the Louisiana Bayou. Follow along as a young boy learns about the environment and the history of the bayou while on a boat ride with his grandpa. This stunning picture book features sidebars with fun facts and snippets of a poem woven throughout the narrative.
The bayou’s calling out to me. “Come back, my son,” it says. “Come see.” What holds me back, I do not know, But I promised, and so I’ll go.
While Troy is on vacation in Louisiana, his grandpa has promised to take him down to the bayou. Grandpa explains that the bayou is not only a shallow, slow-moving, muddy river—but also so much more.
When the time finally comes, Troy and Grandpa climb into Uncle Joe’s pirogue and set off on a unique adventure that stirs up Grandpa's memories and Troy's imagination. Grandpa shares stories about their enslaved ancestors who escaped to the bayou, the ghosts who rise from the moss, and a chorus of creatures that sing around them.
At the end of the day, Grandpa gives Troy a notebook so that he can write about everything the bayou has taught him, or even compose beautiful poems like Grandpa’s. Troy discovers that there is so much to learn about the legends, history, flora and fauna, and yourself, down on the bayou.
Award-winning author Glenda Armand's inviting and informational text along with illustrator Alleanna Harris's lush illustrations capture the young protagonist's imaginative perspective, the lovely bond between a grandfather and grandson, the power of poetry, and the beauty and history of the bayou.---from the publisher
40 pages 978-0593707883 Ages 5-8
Keywords; bayou, adventure, heritage, African American and Black stories, slavery, habitat, grandfather, multigenerational, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old, 8 year old
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"As we look forward to Juneteenth, we are thrilled to introduce a selection of upcoming summer titles that celebrate the richness of Black cultural and family traditions, offering stories that resonate deeply with the experiences and heritage of Black communities. These picture books offer the opportunity to engage young readers with narratives that are often underrepresented in children's literature."---from the publisher
