A folktale from New Orleans that explains why cockroaches and chickens are not the best of friends.

A delicious folktale sure to make you laugh! Oh no, Maw Maw is out of the most important ingredient for her beautiful buttery biscuits- sody sallyraytus! She sends her family off, one by one, with a warning about the bear at the bridge. Follow along as they try unsuccessfully to get the sody sallyraytus home. Who knew that a friendly, and very hungry, squirrel would jump in to save the day! Readers can make their own fluffy biscuits with the recipe included at the end.

Dinosaurs parade down the streets of New Orleans during the Mardi Gras carnival. Includes glossary and related craft activity.

After seeing a green-speckled reptile hatch from an egg one day after storytime, young Max tries to convince someone that there is a dragon in the library, growing ever larger as it eats books, but no one believes him.

A mother rocks her child to sleep as they listen to the sounds bayou creatures make at night.

Relates the native Central American tale of how the gift of chocolate came to be shared by the gods with humans.

The literary tradition of New Orleans spans centuries and touches every genre; its living heritage winds through storied neighborhoods and is celebrated at numerous festivals across the city. For booklovers, a visit to the Big Easy isn't complete without whiling away the hours in an antiquarian bookstore in the French Quarter or stepping out on a literary walking tour. Perhaps only among the oak-lined avenues, Creole town houses, and famed hotels of New Orleans can the lust of A Streetcar Named Desire, the zaniness of A Confederacy of Dunces, the chill of Interview with the Vampire, and the heartbreak of Walker Percy's Moviegoer begin to resonate. Susan Larson's revised and updated edition of The Booklover's Guide to New Orleans not only explores the legacy of Tennessee Williams and William Faulkner, but also visits the haunts of celebrated writers of today, including Anne Rice and James Lee Burke. This definitive guide provides a key to the books, authors, festivals, stores, and famed addresses that make the Crescent City a literary destination.