Paula DeMichele (Children's Literature)
Kathi Appelt, a native Texan who grew up fishing for crawdads in local bayous, drew upon her own childhood to create this lyric and memorable introduction to Cajun culture for young children. The art creates a quiet nightfall and Appelt offers poetic language in authentic Cajun accents. Her unobtrusive introduction of Cajun words will be easily grasped and they give a feel of the actual language while creating a feeling of peace and safety. 1995, Morrow, $16.00. Ages 3 up.

Mary Sue Preissner (Children's Literature)
As the animals of the bayou prepare for the night, so do our loved ones. Cajun speech enhances the feel of the bayou in calming, quieting prose. The author has included a small Cajun glossary, complete with pronunciation guide, making for a great read-aloud. The illustrations in this picture book are stunning. 1995, Morrow, $16.00. Ages 4 to 8.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1995)
A Louisiana lullaby, set to honeyed Cajun verse. Appelt (Elephants Aloft, Harcourt, 1993) creates a gentle and comforting work: creatures of the swamp snooze under the moon, both father and mother spend hushed moments readying the child for bed, fireflies flicker through the dark. Appelt nicely limns the rhythms of the bayou ("His silver notes be settlin' down/To soothe the alligators/Now go to sleep, petite ch‚rie/My little sweet potato") complete with the snatches of French (identified in a short list of "Cajun Pronunciations" up front) that make it authentic. Waldman's illustrations have a rather ham-handed relation to the lullaby; these are nocturnal hybrids, perhaps the crossing of Maxfield Parrish with Peter Maxx. Each painting is built around one word from the verse on that page -- firefly, pirogue, tadpole -- and don't capture the atmosphere of the poem. As a result, there is little flow between images, and much of the lyricism would be lost if Appelt's verse weren't strong enough to stand on its own. 1995, Morrow, $16.00; PLB $15.93. © 1995 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

D. Cannon (Parent Council Volume 3)
Beautiful luminous paintings comprised of dark black backgrounds with electric purple and blue jump off the pages of this book as a summer night in Cajun country is brought to life in rhyme and pictures. The poetic story flows like a bayou, creating a mood of calm and peace. Because the book contains much Cajun dialect, a pronunciation table at the beginning will provide explanations for preschoolers. This is a story to read again and again. 1995, Morrow Junior Books, $16.00. Ages 3 to 8.