Category: Storytime

Storytime: The Runaway Beignet by Connie

The Chase is On!

If you’ve ever strolled by Jackson Square on a humid morning, you know that smell—the intoxicating, sugary scent of fresh fried dough and powdered sugar mixed wafting on the wind. But what happens when one of those delicious treats decides it’s not quite ready to be eaten?

Today on Confetti Park Storytime, we are sprinting through the streets of New Orleans alongside a very fast, very sugary character in “The Runaway Beignet,” written by the wonderful Connie Collins Morgan.

And –we are beyond thrilled to feature a very special narration of this tale. A huge Confetti Park thank you goes out to Connie for sharing her story and her voice to this episode.

A Louisiana Twist on a Classic Tale

We all know the story of the Gingerbread Man, but Connie has given this timeless fable a delicious Louisiana makeover. Instead of a gingerbread man running through a meadow, we have a feisty beignet darting past local landmarks, clever animals, and hungry onlookers.

It is a delightful romp that captures the rhythm and flavor of a street scene in the French Quarter. With its catchy “catch me if you can” singsong, a dash of bayou magic, and the charming illustrations (by Herb Leonhard) that bring the beignet to life, this is a story book you will read over and over again.

Thank You to Connie Collins Morgan

Hearing an author read their own work adds a layer of magic that you just can’t get anywhere else. Connie’s warmth and playful delivery make the Beignet’s escape feel more vivid than ever. We are so grateful she shared her time and her talent with our community of little dreamers and music lovers.

How to Listen

Ready to join the chase? You can catch Connie’s narration of The Runaway Beignet on our latest podcast episode!

Discover More: Check out Connie’s other work and grab a copy of the book at https://conniecollinsmorgan.com/

Listen Now:

Confetti Park Storytime is a family radio program and podcast out of New Orleans. We feature local authors and songs that celebrate the magic of childhood and the unique culture of the Gulf South.

Confetti Park is supported by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation and Music Rising at Tulane University.
Storytime: Why He Carried the Turkey by James Baldwin

Hear ye! Hear ye! Good people are everywhere.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! As we give thanks this week, let’s take a moment to celebrate the fact that kindness is all around us.

In every town, city, and corner of the world, there are good people spreading thoughtfulness, helpfulness, and a sprinkle of joy wherever they go. Isn’t that something to be thankful for?

This week on Confetti Park Storytime, we’re sharing an old Thanksgiving tale called “Why He Carried the Turkey.” It’s a charming story about John Marshall. John Marshall was the fourth Chief Justice of the United States and a pretty big deal in history. But this isn’t about courtrooms or gavels—it’s about a simple act of kindness that speaks volumes.

Written by James Baldwin, this story is a little gem that might make you think about humility, being a good neighbor, or just lending a helping hand. Or maybe it’s about all of those things wrapped up in one heartwarming package.

As Mr. Rogers so wisely said, “Look for the helpers.” They’re everywhere, and they remind us of two important things: who we should surround ourselves with (to feel one kind of joy) and how we can act to spread another kind of joy. True friends, true neighbors, and true kindness make the world a brighter, better place.

So, gather the family, cozy up, and let’s dive into this sweet story together. It’s a perfect reminder that even the smallest acts of kindness can leave the biggest impressions.
Storytime: The Mardi Gras Tree by Melinda Taliancich Falgoust
Happy Mardi Gras, everybody!

Wherever you’re watching the parades– whether it’s out in the parishes, Slidell, Metairie or along beautiful St. Charles Avenue–chances are you will need some shade and respite after a long day of truck floats. Find a tree, have a rest, look around, and enjoy the show. And keep your eyes peeled for the Mardi Gras trees! You know the ones… they glitter like rainbows, dedicated as bead catchers by the people passing by.

In this episode of Confetti park, we hear the whimsical tale of The Mardi Gras Tree by Melinda Taliancich Falgoust.
“Laissez bon temps rouler! – let the good times roll! It’s Mardi Gras in New Orleans and everyone’s excited – including the little acorn who just can’t WAIT to grow into a great live oak and watch high over the parades. But as the Great Oak says, it’s not always about being the biggest or the best. “Whatever tree you grow to be, just be the best that you can be.” An endearing tale of growth and self-worth set against the colorful backdrop of one of New Orleans’ biggest celebrations.

You can order the book at https://www.waggingtalespress.com/picture-books
Melinda, thanks for sharing your story and your wonderful talent with Confetti Park!

A Mardi Gras Tree on the campus of Tulane University. Photo by Mary Cross
Storytime: Can We Take A Road Trip? By Papa Dude

Summertime means road trips! In this episode of Confetti Park, we take a road trip with Papa Dude and his best friend Charlie Crab. They take us on a trip across America, and we to get visit some of the most interesting and fun places the continental United States has to offer.

Who is Papa Dude? His real name is Steven Scaffidi, and he is a New Orleans creator who has a whole line of Papa Dude adventures, a character he based on his own father.

Says Papa Dude: “Ya know…I just love good food, good times, and a good story too. Some folks say that I know a little bit about a lot of things. Ha! Well maybe so but I can’t wait to share all that I’ve learned over the years with you!”

Through Papa Dude’s and Charlie Crab’s eyes, we see some amazing American attractions—those manmade, like the Hoover Dam and Mount Rushmore, and natural attractions, like Yosemite and Carlsbad Caverns. As we travel through bayous, beaches, deserts, mountains, and crisscross the great highways with Papa Dude and his sidekick, we think about just how vast and majestic is this country of America. What a great summer book!

You can learn more about the Papa Dude series at Steven’s website, https://www.heypapadude.com/

And learn more about Steven and his other creative projects at https://www.ghostriderpictures.com/
Storytime: Padapillo by Valerie James Abbott

In this episode of Confetti Park, we hear the children’s book Padapillo narrated by the author, Valerie James Abbott. Based on the true life events of the author and her family, Padapillo is the story of a family discovering the hearing loss of a child.

Told through the eyes of her sister, this is the story of Little Bridget. She’s acting strangely and no one seems to notice–except her big sister. When the rest of her family finally realizes that Bridget has been ignoring the world around her and inventing weird words, it leads to the startling diagnosis that no one saw coming.

In addition to being an inspirational story of transformation and hope, Padapillo also includes an index of national agencies, organizations, and resources that are dedicated to helping families of children who are deaf and hard of hearing find the support and information they may need to move forward.

Congratulations to author Valerie James Abbott on your beautiful and important debut book, and thank you for sharing your family’s story with Confetti Park!

Author Valerie James Abbott, author of Padapillo

Learn more about Papadillo and the author at https://www.valeriejamesabbott.com/

You can buy the book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million.
Storytime: The Loup Garoup

Loup garoups are also knows as rougarou in Louisiana, and most famously as werewolves.

It’s almost Halloween, the time of year when the doors between the living world and the spiritual world are open wide. Soon we will observe Allhallowtide, when we remember the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed.

It’s the perfect time to cozy up to a fire and hear tales of the supernatural. You decide… truth or fiction?

In this episode of Confetti Park Storytime, Kathleen Welch shares with us the legend of the Loup Garoup as found in Acadiana French-Canadian, Acadian, and Franco-American folklore.

The rougaroo is on display at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans

Loup garoups are also knows as rougarou in Louisiana, and most famously as werewolves. They are a terrifying night creature that emerges when the moon is full. Another word you might have heard associated with phases of the moon is “lunatic.”

“The belief is that sinners may be transformed into black bears or dogs, in which shape they wander each night until someone draws blood from them, thereby breaking the curse,” says Welch, describing the loup garoup.

You can learn a lot about werewolf legends at History.com
Storytime: Le Lutin

In this episode of Confetti Park Storytime, we hear about Le Lutin, a fairytale figure and a trickster spirit! Contributor Kathleen Welch shares some of the legends about this hobgoblin who has a knack for pranking.

Le lutin could change his appearance whenever he wanted. So you never know when you are seeing a lutin. But legends say his natural form was a little man with a long beard. He was especially fond of children and horses.

According to the Houma, Louisiana newspaper, “If you’ve ever lost your car keys or misplaced one of your socks, you just may have been pranked by a lutin.”

Some stories are darker. This tale of Le Lutin, from an 1870 text from France called The Fairy Mythology by Thomas Knightly, says:

The other legend named Le Lutin tells how seven little boys, regardless of the warnings of their old grandmother, would go out at night on various affairs. As they went along a pretty little black horse came up to them, and they all were induced to mount on his back. When they met any of their playmates they invited them also to mount, and the back of the little horse, stretched so that at last he had on him not less than thirty little boys. He then made with all speed for the sea, and plunging into it with them they were all drowned.

So, how to get rid of a lutin if one of these little hobgoblins is plaguing you? According to Knightly:

“The best way, it is said, to banish a Lutin who haunts a house, is to scatter flax-seed in the room that he most frequents. His love of neatness and regularity will not allow him to let it lie there, and he soon gets tired of picking it up, and so be goes away.“

Thanks to Kathleen Welch for sharing this bit of French folklore. She gives credit to The Red Housewife Blogspot.
Storytime: Lucky Enough by Dr. Chris Yandle
Narration by the author of a dad’s daily notes of encouragement and life lessons to his daughter

In this episode of Confetti Park Storytime, we hear some sweet excerpts from Lucky Enough: A Year of a Dad’s Daily Notes of Encouragement and Life Lessons to His Daughter, in the voice of the author Dr. Chris Yandle.

From the author’s website:

“When my daughter started fourth grade, it was Addison’s fourth school in five years. It wasn’t how we planned it, but as someone who moved around a lot as a kid, I knew this school year was going to be tough. Every morning, I wrote my daughter a note about life, school, or growing up, and I’d slip it in her bookbag or her lunch box to find later in the day. I shared the notes on Twitter and Facebook using #DadLunchNotes. Before I knew it, the notes became something others were seeking each day, including Addison’s teacher and principal. While I knew others enjoyed the daily life lessons I penned in Sharpie, I wanted to stay true to my intended purpose-being there for my daughter and helping guide her through this difficult school year.”

Chris and his family live in Mandeville, Louisiana. He will be among the featured authors and illustrators at the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University, being held March 19-21. Learn more about this event at https://bookfest.tulane.edu/.

You can order the book Lucky Enough at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and through his website.

Thank you so much, Dr. Chris Yandle, for sharing your story with Confetti Park!
Storytime: Sometimes Even Elephants Forget by Kathleen Welch

In this episode of Confetti Park Storytime, we hear the loving and endearingly bittersweet Sometimes Even Elephants Forget: A Story about Alzheimer’s Disease for Young Children, narrated by the author Kathleen Welch. You’ll love the main characters: two elephants, Grandma Bawa and grandson Mookie, and Kip, a kind and clever hedgehog, who have an adventure together in the jungle.

The printed children’s book version is adorably illustrated by Kathleen Welch’s husband Alan McGillivray, who also helps provide sound effects in this playful narration.

When Grandma Bawa and her sweet grandson Mookie spend the day together exploring water holes and jungle paths, Grandma forgets her hat, loses her brush, gets lost, confuses her grandson’s name, and tells stories of things that happened long ago as if they just occurred. When danger threatens, Grandma Bawa’s love for her family shines through the clouds of her memory, and she remembers important and primal things she learned as a child.

It’s a wonderful story that shines as an example of how we should care for our loved ones, and how a community can come together for protection.

Kathleen Welch has an MPH and PhD from Tulane University where she has been teaching courses in the graduate program on chronic disease prevention, such as Alzheimer’s. She also teaches graduate online courses in this area at the University of New England. She has been an Ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Association and worked with Louisiana’s Rep. Cedric Richmond to pass important legislation on Alzheimer’s prevention.

At the end of Sometimes Even Elephants Forget, which is available from Pelican Publishing and on Amazon, there is a guide to further discussion with young children and a resource list for families facing this devastating disease.

Kathleen and Alan will be among the featured authors and illustrators at the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University, being held March 19-21. Learn more about this event at https://bookfest.tulane.edu/.

Thank you Andre Cormier, Production Manager of Mt. Blue Television, University of Maine at Farmington, for your help with the recording of this podcast. And thank you, Kathleen and Alan, for sharing your wonderful story with Confetti Park!
Storytime: Samuel Morse, That’s Who! by Tracy Nelson Maurer

In this episode of Confetti Park Storytime, you’ll hear the fascinating and fun story of the inventor Samuel Morse, who used electricity to power the telegraph and who invented Morse Code. Way back in the 1800s, he was teaching the world how to do instant messaging!

Tracy Nelson Maurer is the author of this fun biography geared toward kids, and we are so happy that Tracy has narrated the story for our enjoyment.

Back in the 1800s, information traveled slowly. Who would dream of instant messages?

Samuel Morse, that’s who!

Who traveled to France, where the famous telegraph towers relayed 10,000 possible codes for messages depending on the signal arm positions—only if the weather was clear? Who imagined a system that would use electric pulses to instantly carry coded messages between two machines, rain or shine? Long before the first telephone, who changed communication forever?

Samuel Morse, that’s who!

Tracy Nelson Maurer will be one of the featured authors at the upcoming New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University being held March 19-21. Learn more about this event at https://bookfest.tulane.edu/.

Tracy Nelson Maurer

Tracy has written several fun biographies of important change makers, such as John Deere and Noah Webster, and lots of nonfiction books about a wide range of topics such as history, STEM, social skills—even cheerleading and automobiles! Learn more

Thank you, Tracy, for sharing the story of Samuel Morse with Confetti Park!
Storytime: The Opossum’s Tale – A folk tale narrated by Janneke van der Molen

A Native American foltale narrated by Janneke van der Molen

In this episode of Confetti Park, we hear a traditional folk tale interpreted and narrated by Janneke van der Molen of New Orleans.

Janneke is originally from the Netherlands, but has called New Orleans home for two decades. She has a deep love of the culture of South Louisiana and her adopted city of New Orleans.

Enjoy her interpretation of this strange Native American myth about why opossums have pouches.

Opossums are marsupials— do you know what a marsupial is? It is a kind of animal that carries its babies in a pouch outside its belly, after the babies are born. They continue to grow and eat until they are big enough to travel on their own. Most opossums live in the South Pacific in countries like Australia and New Guinea. Can you name some other animals that are marsupials?

The only marsupials living in the United States are different kinds of opossums.

You will have to listen to this story to learn the reason the opossum has a pouch—that is, according to Native Americans!

The Confetti Park podcast and radio program, hosted by Katy Hobgood Ray, features music and stories that families will love listening to together. We explore songs of Louisiana, the Mississippi Delta and beyond. Sparkling interviews, in-studio performances, delightful music medleys, jokes, local author storytime, and a little surprise lagniappe make for an entertaining show!

Confetti Park is supported by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation and Music Rising at Tulane University.
Storytime: The Littlest Engine That Could by Justin Wilson

In this episode of Confetti Park Storytime, we hear the wonderful voice of Justin Wilson telling the Christmas tale of “The Littlest Engine That Could.”

Justin Wilson

Justin Wilson is a Louisiana Legend. He has since passed away, but in his life he was a beloved Cajun chef, storyteller, comedian and poet who delighted fans around the world with his whimsical stories, songs, genial nature, and delightful sense of humor as he shared his Cajun recipes and heritage, through television, radio, stage and other venues.

I loved watching Justin on PBS, standing in a kitchen, telling stories and preparing Cajun dishes, when I was growing up. I’ll always smile to hear his famous catchphrases—”I Garontee!” and “How Y’all Are?!”

Confetti Park recently partnered with his estate and Justin Wilson Southern Products LLC to help share his stories with a new generation of children. Soon, we might see Justin again on TV! And now you can get digital versions of his stories on Amazon and iTunes, and enjoy them on Confetti Park!

The Littlest Engine That Could

This particular story, which was first released in 1975, is called “The Littlest Engine That Could.” You probably know the lassic American fairytale of a persevering little train—but this version has a twist—A Christmas Twist! This is the story of the “happy little train” that has to deliver presents to boys and girls over a steep mountain pass, so that the children have a happy Christmas.

And the other twist in this story is the lovely Cajun delivery and humor of Justin Wilson. Learn more about Justin Wilson Southern Products LLC.

Confetti Park

The Confetti Park radio show is a weekly 30-minute program that streams online and airs in cities across the United States, made available for free to all community radio stations on the Pacifica Network. We’re going to enjoy the music of the season all this month on every episode. There will be Christmas carols, Hanukkah songs of light, and children’s favorites all month long here in Confetti Park, as well as sweet stories to make you smile. Thanks for joining me, your host, Katy Hobgood Ray!

The Confetti Park radio show and podcast is supported by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation and Music Rising at Tulane University.

Thanks for listening. Remember to look for the magic in every day!