BLES Gulf Coast Book List 2

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Celebrate unity in diversity with these selections of fiction, historical nonfiction, biography, animal
tales, poetry, folktales, graphic novels.
KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADES
A Catfish Tale: A Bayou Story of the Fisherman and His Wife by Whitney
Stewart and Gerald Guerlais
Deep in the bayou, a Cajun fisherman named Jack catches a magic fish that offers
to grant wishes in exchange for being set free. Jack doesn’t have a lot of wishes,
but his wife Jolie sure does—for a mansion, a paddleboat, fame and fortune! With
each wish, all the fish says is “Ah, tooloulou—if that ain’t the easiest thing to do.”
But when Jolie wants to be crowned Mardi Gras queen, have things gone too far?
RECOMMENDED FOR KINDERGARTEN TO 2ND
GRADE/ACCELERATED READER POINTS=0.5/AVAILABLE AT
GWINNETT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford and R. Gregory
Christie
In this story told through lines of poetry, young readers get to visit the place in
pre-Civil War New Orleans where: “Slaves had off one afternoon,/when the
law allowed them to commune./They flocked to . . . Congo Square. / Sundays,
slaves and free met there.”
RECOMMENDED FOR KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 3RD
GRADE/AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM
How to Dress a Po’ Boy by Johnette Downing
It takes a lot of skill to put together the perfect New Orleans-style po' boy.
Talented children's author and musician Johnette Downing takes readers
through step by step to create this classic meal, adding in a heaping dash of
humor. From French bread and Blue-Plate mayonnaise to Creole tomatoes, all
delicious ingredients are included.

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RECOMMENDED FOR KINDERGARTEN AND 1ST
GRADE/AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON.COM AND ABEBOOKS.COM
How Jelly Roll Morton Invented Jazz by Jonah Winter and Keith Mallett
This unusual and inventive picture book that riffs on the language and
rhythms of old New Orleans, noted children’s author Jonah Winter turns
his focus to one of America's early jazz heroes in this perfectly pitched
book about Jelly Roll Morton. This biography will transport readers
young and old to the musical, magical streets of New Orleans at the turn
of the 20th century.
RECOMMENDED FOR 1ST
GRADE AND UP/ACCELERATED READER POINTS= 0.5/AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON.COM AND
ABEBOOKS.COM
If Only I Had a Horn: Young Louis Armstrong by Roxane Orgill and Leonard Jenkins
As a poor boy in New Orleans, where music was everywhere--dancing
out of doorways, singing on street corners, crying from the cornet of the
great Joe Oliver for all to hear--Louis longed for a horn so that he too
could sing, bring home pennies, and, most of all, tap happy-feet blues till
the sun rose. It wasn’t going to be easy. Many things, not all of them
good, had to happen before he got his horn. But when at last he did, he
sent music spiraling up into the New Orleans night sky like a spinning top
gone crazy.
RECOMMENDED FOR KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 2ND
GRADE/ACCELERATED READER
POINTS= 0.5/AVAILABLE FROM GWINNETT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
Lapin Plays Possum: Trickster Tales from the Louisiana Bayou by Sharon
Doucet and Scott Cook
The Louisiana version of Brer Rabbit and Bugs Bunny, Compere Lapin, is a
mischief maker determined to get the best of Compere Bouki. In this series
of three folk tales that praises brains over brawn, this rascally rabbit seems
to come out ahead no matter what.
GRADE/ACCELERATED READER
POINTS= 1.0/AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON.COM AND ABEBOOKS.COM
Louis Armstrong: Jazz Musician (Great African Americans) by Patricia and
Fredrick McKissack and Edward Ostendorf
Simple text and illustrations describe the life and accomplishments of the jazz
trumpeter who was nicknamed Satchmo.
RECOMMENDED FOR 1ST
GRADE AND UP/ACCELERATED READER POINTS= 0.5/AVAILABLE
FROM GWINNETT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

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Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans by
Phil Bildner and John Parra
In New Orleans, there lived a man who saw the streets as his calling, and he
swept them clean. He danced up one avenue and down another and everyone
danced along. The old ladies whistled and whirled. The old men hooted and
hollered. The barbers, bead twirlers, and beignet bakers bounded behind that
one-man parade. But then came the rising Mississippi—and a storm greater
than anyone had seen before. This heartwarming book about a real garbage
man, tells the inspiring story of a humble man who served his community with love and the heroic
difference he made in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
GRADE/ACCELERATED READER POINTS= 0.5/AVAILABLE AT
AMAZON.COM AND ABEBOOKS.COM
P Is for Pelican: A Louisiana Alphabet
From its festive Mardi Gras parades to its wildlife-filled swamps, Louisiana is a
state of great diversity. P is for Pelican: A Louisiana Alphabet is an alphabet book that
introduces readers young and old to the culture, history, and wonders of this Gulf
state.
RECOMMENDED FOR 1ST
AT AMAZON.COM AND ABEBOOKS.COM
A Place Where Hurricanes Happen by Renee Watson and Shadra
Stickland
Adrienne, Keesha, Michael, and Tommy have been friends for forever.
They live on the same street—a street in New Orleans where everyone
knows everybody. But then people start talking about a storm headed
straight for New Orleans. The kids must part ways, since each family deals
with Hurricane Katrina in a different manner. And suddenly everything
that felt like home is gone. In alternating voices, four friends describe their
lives before, during, and after the storm and how, even though the world
can change in a heartbeat, people define the character of their community and offer one another comfort
and hope.
RECOMMENDED FOR KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 4TH
Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! by Wynton Marsalis and
Paul Rogers
What’s that sound? The back door squeeeaks open, sounding like a noisy
mouse nearby — eeek, eeeek, eeeek! Big trucks on the highway rrrrrrrumble,
just as hunger makes a tummy grrrrumble. With infectious rhythm and
rhyme, musical master Wynton Marsalis opens kids’ ears to the sounds
around us.

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GRADE/AVAILABLE AT GWINNETT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
Over in the Wetlands: A Hurricane-on-the-Bayou Story by Caroline Starr
Rose and Rob Dunlavey
Journey to the Louisiana wetlands and watch as all the animals of the bayou
experience one of nature’s most dramatic and awe-inspiring events: a
hurricane. The animals prepare—swimming for safer seas, finding cover in
dens, and nestling their young close to protect them. During the height of the
storm, even the trees react, cracking and moaning in the wind. At last, the
hurricane yawns and rests, and animals come out to explore their world anew.
The Story of Ruby Bridges: Special Anniversary Edition by by Robert Coles
and George Ford
The year is 1960, and six-year-old Ruby Bridges and her family have recently
moved from Mississippi to New Orleans in search of a better life. When a judge
orders Ruby to attend first grade at William Frantz Elementary, an all-white
school, Ruby must face angry mobs of parents who refuse to send their children
to school with her. Told with Robert Coles' powerful narrative and dramatically
illustrated by George Ford, Ruby's story of courage, faith, and hope is now
available in this special 50th anniversary edition with an updated afterword!
Today is Monday in Louisiana by Johnette Downing and Deborah Ousley
Kadair
On Monday, there are red beans to eat, and on Tuesday, po’ boys and on it goes
throughout the week, each day bringing a unique and tasty Louisiana dish to the
table. Based on a song by New Orleans singer/songwriter Johnette Downing,
Today Is Monday in Louisiana offers the best of Cajun, Creole, African, and French foods.
RECOMMENDED FOR KINDERGARTEN AND UP/AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM AND ABEBOOKS.COM
Twelve Days of Christmas in Louisiana by Jean Cassels and Lynne Avril
Cravath
Rosalie is sending her cousin Paul a ticket to come to Louisiana for the twelve
days of Christmas-and that's a very special time there, because Christmas doesn't
really end in New Orleans until Twelfth Night, January 6th. And that very same
evening, Carnival, with its joyful parades and gorgeous costumes, begins.
RECOMMENDED FOR KINDERGARTEN AND UP/ACCELERATED READER POINTS= 0.5/AVAILABLE AT GWINNETT
COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

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SECOND AND THIRD GRADES
The Diary of Marie Landry, Acadian Exile by Stacy Demoran Allbritton and
Joyce Haynes
During the Great Upheaval of 1755, the British forced the Acadians to leave
their homes in the Canadian Provinces. Fourteen-year-old Marie Landry and
her family thought they had found a new home in Maryland, but ten years
after the Great Upheaval, they must join a mass exodus to Louisiana where
land awaits them. In this work of historical fiction, Marie documents her
journey. RECOMMENDED FOR 3RD
GRADE AND UP/AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM AND ABEBOOKS.COM
Finding Someplace by Denise Lewis Patrick
Reesie Boone just knows that thirteen is going to be her best year yet-this will be
the year she makes her very first fashion design on her Ma Maw's sewing
machine. But on Reesie's birthday, everything changes. Hurricane Katrina hits
her city. Stranded at home alone, Reesie takes refuge with her elderly neighbor,
Miss Martine. The waters rise. They escape in a boat. And soon Reesie is
reunited with her family. But her journey back home has only begun.
RECOMMENDED FOR 3RD
GRADE AND UP/AVAILABLE AT GWINNETT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
Hooper Finds a Family by Jane Paley
Here comes Hooper, one plucky, spunky dog whose warm spirit and goofy
personality are irresistible. Hooper tells his own dramatic rescue tale after
being left homeless in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and taking a daring trip
from New Orleans to New York to meet his new family. He tells of the
terrifying force of Katrina, his trials in the shelter, and being the new dog on
the block in a city far from home. As Hooper struggles to find his place, he
learns to overcome his fear of water and faces down feisty squirrels as well as
the resident bully and top dog in his new neighborhood. Based on a true story.
RECOMMENDED FOR 3RD
ABEBOOKS.COM
How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis and Clark by Rosalyn
Schanzer
Appealing art and descriptive text bring Lewis and Clark alive for young
adventurers. Carefully chosen text from Lewis and Cark's actual journals
opens a fascinating window into this country's exciting history.
RECOMMENDED FOR 3RD
FROM GWINNETT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

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I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 by L. Tarshis and S. Dawson The horror of Hurricane
Katrina is brought vividly to life in this fictional account of a boy, a dog, and
the storm of the century. Barry's family tries to evacuate before Hurricane
Katrina hits their home in New Orleans. But when Barry's little sister gets
terribly sick, they're forced to stay home and wait out the storm. At first,
Katrina doesn't seem to be as bad as predicted. But overnight the levees
break, and Barry's world is literally torn apart. He's swept away by the flood
waters, away from his family. Can he survive the storm of the century —
alone?
RECOMMENDED FOR 3RD
ABEBOOKS.COM
Louisiana Native Americans by Carole Marsh
This book will help children discover the often neglected story of a society
where the adults were the ones who played games, where dreams were taken
very seriously, where family was protected by the spirit of an animal and
where thieves could steal your name. This A-Z look at Louisiana Indians
emphasizes Indian pride, culture, skills and creativity. It includes math
problems, writing activities and questions for discussion. Free teacher's guide
gives specific suggestions & instructions on how to get max educational value from this book.
RECOMMENDED FOR 3RD
GRADE AND UP/AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM
The Louisiana Purchase (Ready for Chapters) by Peter Roop, Connie Roop and
Sally Wern Comport
In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory from the French
for $15,000,000. The purchase made President Jefferson's dream of extending the
U.S. west of the Mississippi River come true. Now the much larger United States
had difficult questions to answer: How would Louisiana be governed? How would it
be divided into states? Would those states be free states or slave states? What would
happen to the Native Americans? It would take over one hundred years, a war over
slavery, and the creation of thirteen new states before these questions could be
answered.
RECOMMENDED FOR 2ND
GRADE AND UP/ACCELERATED READER POINTS= 1.0/AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM AND
ABEBOOKS.COM
Mardi Gras (Best Holiday Books) by Dianne M. MacMillan
The revised, updated edition joins others in the Best Holiday Books series to appeal to
grades 3-4. Nearly fifty pages of information on the holiday's origins and enactment
include an index, glossary, and bibliography, along with historical facts and plenty
of color photos.
RECOMMENDED FOR 3RD
GRADE AND UP/ AVAILABLE AT GWINNETT COUNTY PUBLIC
LIBRARY

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Meet Cécile: An American Girl by Denise Lewis Patrick and Christine Kornacki
Cécile Rey can't wait for Mardi Gras, the dazzling season of parties and costume balls
in New Orleans. And after Mardi Gras, Cecile's beloved brother, Armand, will finally
come home after two long years in faraway France. But Mardi Gras season turns out
to be even more exciting than Cecile expects when she meets a new girl named
MarieGrace Gardner. Together they form an unlikely friendship…and share a daring
adventure! Includes an illustrated Looking Back essay about the history of free people
of color in New Orleans. The story continues in the third book in the series: MarieGrace
and the Orphans.
RECOMMENDED FOR 3RD
GRADE AND UP/ACCELERATED READER POINTS=2.0/AVAILABLE AT
AMAZON.COM AND ABEBOOKS.COM
The Runaway Beignet by Connie Morgan and Herb Leonhard
You're not gonna taste this little beignet! In this confectionary folktale adaptation of
the Gingerbread Man, a lonely baker gets his wish when he sprinkles magic sugar
on a beignet and it comes to life. The little beignet boy runs away but is in danger of
being eaten by the hungry people of New Orleans leading a wild chase through the
French Quarter and visiting famous sights along the way.
GRADE/AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM
AND ABEBOOKS.COM
Sugar by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Ten-year-old Sugar lives on the River Road sugar plantation along the banks of the
Mississippi. Slavery is over, but laboring in the fields all day doesn't make her feel
very free. Thankfully, Sugar has a knack for finding her own fun, especially when she
joins forces with forbidden friend Billy, the white plantation owner's son. Sugar has
always yearned to learn more about the world, and she sees her chance when Chinese
workers are brought in to help harvest the cane. The older River Road folks feel
threatened, but Sugar is fascinated. As she befriends young Beau and elder Master
Liu, they introduce her to the traditions of their culture, and she, in turn, shares the
ways of plantation life. Here is a story of unlikely friendships and how they can
change our lives forever.
RECOMMENDED FOR 3RD
GRADE AND UP/ACCELERATED READER POINTS= 4.0/AVAILABLE AT GWINNETT COUNTY
PUBLIC LIBRARY
Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival by
Kirby Larson, Mary Nethery and Jean Cassels
Bobbi and Bob Cat are the best of friends. When their hometown of New Orleans
was struck by Hurricane Katrina, many lost everything. But not Bobbi and Bob
Cat--they still had each other. Only by staying together could they survive. This is
the story of their remarkable friendship.

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RECOMMENDED FOR KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 3ND
Who Was Louis Armstrong? by Yona Zeldis McDonough, John O'Brien and
Nancy Harrison
If not for a stint in reform school, young Louis Armstrong might never have become a
musician. It was a teacher at the Colored Waifs’ Home who gave him a cornet,
promoted him to band leader, and saw talent in the tough kid from the even tougher
New Orleans neighborhood called Storyville. But it was Louis Armstrong’s own
passion and genius that pushed jazz into new and exciting realms with his amazing,
improvisational trumpet playing.
RECOMMENDED FOR 3RD
GRADE AND UP/ACCELERATED READER POINTS=1.0/AVAILABLE AT
FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADES
Buddy by M.H. Herlong
Tyrone "Li'l T" Roberts meets Buddy when his family's car accidentally hits the stray
dog on their way to church. Buddy turns out to be the dog Li'l T's always wished for-
until Hurricane Katrina comes to New Orleans and he must leave Buddy behind.
After the storm, Li'l T and his father return home to find a community struggling to
rebuild their lives--and Buddy gone. But Li'l T refuses to give up his quest to find his
best friend.
RECOMMENDED FOR 5TH
GRADE AND UP/ACCELERATED READER POINTS=8.0/AVAILABLE AT GWINNETT COUNTY
PUBLIC LIBRARY
Built Below Sea Level: New Orleans (Shockwave People and Communities) by
Laura
Layton Strom
This nonfiction title features some of the different physical and cultural
characteristics that make New Orleans a unique city. It highlights some of the
conditions that contributed to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
RECOMMENDED 4TH
GRADE AND UP/ACCELERATED READER POINTS=0.5
First Book of Jazz by Langston Hughes
Famed Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes wrote this brief tribute to
jazz in 1955. In it, he discusses the music's history and highlights the lives of
great musical heroes such as Louis Armstrong as well as its various forms.
RECOMMENDED FOR 5TH
GRADE AND UP/AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM AND
ABEBOOKS.COM

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The Gulf Coast: A Literary Field Guide (Stories from Where We Live) by Sara St. Antoine, Paul
Mirocha and Trudy H. Nicholson
This collection of stories, poems, and essays explores what makes the Gulf
Coast region distinct, both culturally and environmentally. Four sections cover
adventures (scalloping and hurricanes, for example); great places (swamps,
bayous, lakes, and beaches); reapers and sowers (from cotton farmers to berry
pickers); and wild lives (focusing on alligators, egrets, manatees, and other
creatures). Featuring Choctaw legends and songs from the cotton fields, this
book evokes the literature, history, geography, ecology, and society of one of
America’s treasured regions.
RECOMMENDED FOR 4TH
GRADE AND UP/AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM AND ABEBOOKS.COM
Gumbo Goes Downtown by Carol Talley and Itoko Maeno
Here is the story of a loveable mutt named Gumbo, who abandons his
watchdog duties and follows the streetcar tracks downtown to the historic
French Quarter of New Orleans. There he discovers a world of new
experiences and meets a colorful cast of canine characters.
RECOMMENDED FOR 4TH
FROM AMAZON.COM AND ABEBOOKS.COM
Ray and the Best Family Reunion Ever by Margaret Pitts Walker
Ray can't wait to go to the Moret family reunion in Louisiana. His sister,
Marguerite, is eager to see their cousins, and she's told Ray about the exciting
games at the picnic, the delicious Creole food, and the rousing story that
Greatgran-papa tells about the family. But this year there might be trouble. Gran-
papa Philippe is planning to attend the reunion. All Ray knows about his
grandfather is that they look alike-both are dark in a light-skinned family. And he
knows that his father doesn't talk to Granpapa Philippe. Can Ray manage to bring
his family together, or will they have to leave before he is given a chance?
(Recommended for 4th
grade and up/Accelerated Reader points= 2.0)
Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes

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Twelve-year-old Lanesha lives in a tight-knit community in New Orleans' Ninth
Ward. She doesn't have a fancy house like her uptown family or lots of friends like
the other kids on her street. But what she does have is Mama Ya-Ya, her fiercely
loving caretaker, wise in the ways of the world and able to predict the future. So
when Mama Ya-Ya's visions show a powerful hurricane — Katrina — fast
approaching, it's up to Lanesha to call upon the hope and strength Mama Ya-Ya has
given her to help them both survive the storm.
RECOMMENDED FOR 5TH
AT GWINNETT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Pirate Lafitte and the Battle of New Orleans by Robert Tallant and John
Chase
A public menace to some and a local hero to others, the Crescent City’s most notorious
pirate left behind tales and adventures that will give young readers an insight into the
life and history of the city during the early 19th century. RECOMMENDED FOR 5TH
GRADE
AND UP/ACCELERATED READER POINTS= 5.0/AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON.COM AND
ABEBOOKS.COM
The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
One day, thirteen-year-old Jessie Bollier is earning pennies playing his fife on the
docks of New Orleans; the next, he is kidnapped and thrown aboard a slave ship,
where his job is to provide music while shackled slaves "dance" to keep their
muscles strong and their bodies profitable. As the endless voyage continues, Jessie
grows increasingly sickened by the greed, brutality, and inhumanity of the slave
trade, but nothing prepares him for the ultimate horror he will witness before his
nightmare ends -- a horror that will change his life forever.
RECOMMENDED FOR 5TH
AT GWINNETT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
List curated by parent volunteer, Jené Watson, for GCPS/BLES 2015 International Literacy Night. All book descriptions
from Amazon.com, Goodreads.com and publisher websites.

BLES Gulf Coast Book List 2

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