New Orleans Mother Goose - Tapa dura

Mother Goose does Mardi Gras and more in this twist on popular nursery rhymes. Bringing Little Boy Blue to the bayou, this collection of uniquely New Orleanian nursery rhymes will have readers pulling out their oyster bags and putting on a roux in no time.

Romp through Mid City and down the Mississippi with a colorful cast of characters that includes Old King Rex, Li'l Boudreaux and Thibodaux, and Georg� Porg�. Climb Monkey Hill with Jacques and Gilles and crave pecan pie. Dine on savory Crescent City dishes such as pain perdu with Peter the gumbo mixer and three fat chefs. Go round and round the Garden District and to the French Market, accompanied by Marie-and her scary voodoo-and Jack Sprat, who yells "Who dat!" Put on your zydeco shoes as you dance to the tunes of Ton the trumpeter's son and 'Tite Pattie Pinkie.

Playfully reimagined, these beloved poems sparkle like doubloons with the charm and clever humor of author Ryan Adam and the bright illustrations of Marita Gentry. Readers young and old will shout "Hey, mister! Read me some more!"

Ryan Adam is an author and screenwriter who uses his Cajun heritage as a source of inspiration. His short stories have been published in Delgado Community College's award-winning literary magazine, Images. Adam was a semifinalist in the 2006 Writers Network Screenplay and Fiction Competition in Los Angeles, and several of his screenplays were reviewed by the Disney Studios Writers Fellowship program. Adam, whose work embodies a vivacity drawn from his personal history and culture, lives in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Marita Gentry is a professional artist whose work is displayed in galleries throughout Louisiana. Her vivid illustrations have earned her numerous awards and commissions. An accomplished teacher, she is involved in several artist-in-residence programs each year, helping schools enliven their walls with murals. Gentry is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the artist roster of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, and the Louisiana Watercolor Society. Gentry's previous Pelican titles include Beware, Beware of the Big Bad Bear!; The Cajun Cornbread Boy; Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach; The Gigantic Sweet Potato; There's a Dragon in the Library; and Dinosaur Mardi Gras. Gentry lives in Amite, Louisiana.