Storytime: Juju Meets the Rougaroo by Michelle Hirstius

Halloween calls for some spooky tales, and we have some wonderful spooky tales to share in Louisiana! Here is one of our newest little Louisiana characters—it’s Juju, who makes GOOD voodoo!

What is a rougaroo?  It’s like a werewolf. It’s a hairy half-human/half-wolf monster that lives in the swamps of South Louisiana. The Cajun people tell tales of the rougaroo (or rougarou, roux-ga-roux, rugaroo, rugaru or loup garou) prowling the Louisiana swamps and forests, stalking livestock, pets, and humans. It changes into wolf form with the phases of the moon—in worst case, the phase lasts 101 days.  Some say you turn into a rougaroo by breaking church habits, and others say witches turn you into a rougaroo, and others say that the bite of a monster causes the change. It’s definitely a scary legend meant to keep little children close to home!

Well… this sweet little book isn’t as scary as those legends. In Juju Meets the Rougaroo, Juju and her friends are trick-or-treating when they encounter the rougaroo, and he tries to steal their candy. He is a bully! Only Juju stands up to him, and decides to use her good voodoo to show the creature his past, present, and future so that he can see how his meanness affects other people—and himself.

Juju is an adorable character created by New Orleans author and illustrator Michelle Hirstius. Juju Meets the Rougaroo is the seventh in a series and we are so glad that more are coming! Thanks for sharing your stories with Confetti Park, Michelle!

Check out all the adventures of Juju at http://www.michellehirstius.com/