Tag: story

Storytime: Patti Pig, Please Clean Your Digs by Cindy Foust

In this episode of Confetti Park Storytime, we hear Patti Pig, Please Clean Your Digs, narrated by the author, Cindy Foust, mastermind behind the Alpha-kidZ book series.

Patti Pig, Please Clean Your Digs is the “P” book in the series, of course!

Patti’s bedroom “is messy, to say the least. In fact, be careful looking under her bed, in case you come across a big hairy beast!”

Patti’s twin brother, Paul, doesn’t understand how they are so different. He is so neat and clean, and her room is, well—a pig pen!

“I can’t help if I’m a little untidy,” pouts Patty.
Anyway, who but Paul minds a little gum on the bed?
I don’t have time to squabble with my brother.
I need to plan my birthday party instead.

When Paul funds out Patti is planning a slumber party for their birthday, he offers to help her clean her room. The twins learn a lesson about teamwork—and Patti learns that a clean room is worth the effort.

Cindy Foust lives in West Monroe, Louisiana. She launched the Alpha-kidZ: Reading Adventures A-Z book series in 2003. Each letter of the alphabet gets a feature story and a feature creature who has an adventure.

Austin Alligator, Elephant Emmy Lou, and Freddy Fox… these are some of the characters who face a challenge and find a solution. All of Cindy’s books offer lessons in character development and conflict resolution, told in engaging rhyme. And the books are brightly and colorfully illustrated (by different artists). Cindy says that personal experiences and inspiration from family and friends provided the basis for each of the stories.

Look for all the books at http://www.alphakidz.com, and look for an interview with author Cindy Faust in a future episode of Confetti Park!
Storytime: To Dream of Dancing: Desdemona’s Dreams by Z.W. Mohr

In this episode of Confetti Park, we hear an excerpt from the enchanting fairy tale To Dream of Dancing: Desdemona’s Dreams, Volume 1. Z.W. Mohr, the author, narrates for us a dream poem and an introduction to Desdemona. This is an excerpt from the first book in his original series co-created with illustrator Aaron Damon Porter.

Desdemona is an 11 year old girl who is being raised by her two mysterious aunts and guardian teddy bear. When we first meet Desdemona, she is battling a mad maestro who wants to steal away her dream of dancing. When she awakes, her adventures continue…..

From this introduction, we, along with Desdemona, will discover she can bring her dreams into the waking world at a time when everyone else is forgetting how to dream.

Many more chapters of Desdemona’s Dreams are to come from New Orleans-based co-creators Mohr and Porter. Currently, there is To Dream of Dancing: Desdemona’s Dreams, Volume 1 and The Land of Mar: Desdemona’s Dreams, Volume 2. The second book features pirates!!!

The Desdemona’s Dreams series offers a whirlwind of adventures in magical places, with inspiring and strong female characters. It also shows us the beauty of a child’s imagination, and how dreams shape the very world around us.

Stay tuned for an interview with Z.W. Mohr and Aaron Damon Porter on Confetti Park.
Storytime: The Beaver’s Tale of Greed narrated by Iran Martin

Grand’s Fairy Tales by Iran and Henryell Martin

In this episode of Confetti Park, we hear “The Beaver’s Tale of Greed” by Iran Martin, from his book Grand’s Fairy Tales. This is an adapted version of a Grimm’s fairy tale called the “Fisherman and his Wife.”

In the older version of the tale, which was first written in Germany in the 1800s, a poor fisherman and his wife are blessed with wishes by a magical fish in exchange for releasing it. However, the wife becomes greedy and the husband, who wants to please her, goes along with her ever-more selfish demands to the fish.

In this version, adapted and narrated by Iran Martin along with his wife Henryell, the main character is a trapper who saves the life of a magical beaver, and the story takes place in a forest.

“I plead with you. Let me live.”

The old trapper stared in disbelief. Never had he trapped a talking beaver before!

Iran and Henryell live in Bossier City, in north Louisiana. They are native New Orleanians who moved to north Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. “The Beaver’s Tale of Greed” and all of the tales and fables in Grand’s Fairy Tales are steeped in Louisiana folklore and imagery of the forests, bayous and other water ways of our beautiful state. And many of them offer a moral for the reader to take away.

You can look forward to more stories from Iran and Henryell Martin on Confetti Park!

Buy Grand’s Fairy Tales on Amazon.

Iran & Henryell Martin
Storytime: Coming Up Cajun by Carrie Delatte

It’s Confetti Park Storytime! In this episode, author Carrie Delatte narrates her children’s book Coming Up Cajun, which is based on the true tales of two little boys growing up in the heart of Cajun Country.

Full of nature, this sweet tale told in rhyming verse captures some of the wholesome outdoor activities, daily chores, and good times of Carrie’s own children.

“From the green of the land, to the blue of the bayous, they made the best of their time in the splendour of a Southern youth,” says Carrie.

The story is educational for how it captures all the activities that are part of daily life for kids growing up in the country, such as gathering eggs, trapping, fishing, hunting, loading bales of hay, tending livestock, paddling in their pirogues…. In addition, Coming Up Cajun is chock full of Cajun French vocabulary, and Carrie includes a handy glossary for readers’ benefit.

Born and raised in quaint Gheens, Louisiana, Carrie Delatte is the proud mother of four young children. She was brought up on a small farm off of Central Bayou Lafourche, and she enjoys southern living and the beauty of nature.

Carrie was diagnosed at the age of seven with the neurological disorder known as Tourette’s Syndrome. Carrie has vowed to donate 10% of proceeds from each title she releases to the Tourette’s Association of America (formerly called the National Tourette’s Syndrome Association) to further assist in the search for a cure, research and educational purposes. Her one outlet from the daily life of a “ticcer” is her writing.

Thank you so much, Carrie, for sharing your stories with Confetti Park!
Candy Land Ball books are being printed

Katy reads the proof of her new children’s book, Candy Land Ball

Friends!!!! We did it! Thank you so much! This morning I reached 100% of my goal to create my newest children’s book, Candy Land Ball. I am so grateful to all of you for your support.

A few weeks ago, I received the proof for the book. They look great! The first shipment of Candy Land Ball books should be arriving any day, and I am having a wonderful time building gifts for the various perks my contributors selected. Everything is on track to be shipped out by the first week of December.

I am so delighted that this book has come to life. It’s originally a song I wrote about the wonderful, magical kid’s ball sponsored by Confetti Kids, a neighborhood nonprofit organization that supports children’s parks and programming. The actual Confetti Park that inspired all of my daydreamy orchestrations for this website, radio show and podcast is the first park created by Confetti Kids!

I’ve been volunteering for this organization for four years. So many of the children I teach in choir, and who play with my son, Louis, are children of Confetti Kids. I love this group, the parents I volunteer with, and the community we are building.

I’m excited to have this book as a permanent dedication to this sweet moment in time, and I’m donating 10% of all transactions from the Indiegogo campaign to Confetti Kids, to go toward more park development for our community.

Again, thank you for everything.
Katy
Storytime: Juju Meets the Rougaroo by Michelle Hirstius

Juju Meets the Rougaroo: A Halloween Anti-Bullying Book 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/
Storytime: Foolish John, A Louisiana Folktale narrated by Ted Lindsay

Foolish John is a literal-minded character who appears in American folk stories as a fool who always gets things right somehow. In Louisiana folk tales, he was called Jean Sotte, and he had many misadventures that resulted in happy outcomes despite all of his foolish interpretations of situations.

A later year character who might have been inspired by the Foolish John stories is America Bedelia: “Everyone loves Amelia Bedelia, the literal-minded housekeeper! When she makes a sponge cake, she puts in real sponges. When she weeds the garden, she replants the weeds. And when she pitches a tent, she throws it into the woods!”

In this Foolish John tale, which is narrated by Ted Lindsay of Mooringsport, Foolish John is sent by his mother to sell a cow hide. What does he do? He strings it up on a tree, like a sail blowing in the wind above the woods. The misadventure continues from there, leading to great riches for John.
Update on Indiegogo: Candy Land Ball over 30%

I am pre-selling my new children’s book and song, Candy Land Ball, on Indiegogo. Please consider supporting my campaign at https://igg.me/at/candylandball/x/11554329. Lots of wonderful packages available! Here is an update from the campaign.

You guys! THANK YOU! One week in, and I am already over $1000 and over 30% of the way toward my goal! I am so very appreciative of your support. The book will soon be in your hands, and I hope that it makes people happy and feel warm and fuzzy… it’s just perfect for the holiday season.

I have lots of fun back story to share with you about this song and book.

I want to say who is playing on the song version—every single copy of the book will come with a download code for the song. I am indebted to the following amazing musicians who are featured on this recording:

Tom McDermott, piano; Michelle Nelson, background vocals; Rick G. Nelson, strings; Matthew Perrine, tuba. Kids chorus: Elisa McDonald, Charleston McLean, and Hrilina Ramrakhiani.

And, I must give a shoutout to my wonderful mom Janet Hobgood and friend Ted Lindsay, who brainstormed with me on piano while writing this music and crafting the fun lyrics, and to my beautiful cousin Emily Zeisler for transcribing the piano music which is included in this book.

The Candy Land Ball is a family affair!!!

– Katy
Pre-order our newest book, Candy Land Ball!
Candy Land Ball

The newest book from Confetti Park is called Candy Land Ball! Inspired by real events and a song, this children’s book has been beautifully illustrated and is ready for print. We are taking pre-orders now through Indiegogo, and it will be shipped in time for the holidays!

The song “Candy Land Ball,” which is on our first CD, was inspired by an annual event in my neighborhood. The Candy Land Ball is a magical children’s ball that raises funds for parks and children’s programming in Algiers Point for 501(c)3 Confetti Kids, Inc. I have volunteered for this organization for four years, and today, I am the president! A portion of proceeds from the campaign will go to Confetti Kids, Inc.

The song, with scenes of rock candy mountains and lollipop trees, was just begging to be illustrated. This will be the second children’s book I have published from my little workshop in New Orleans. The first, written by David Eugene Ray, is called The Little Mouse Santi. It won several awards and was named by Kirkus Reviews as one of the Best Indie Books of 2015! What an honor.
What We Need & What You Get

The Candy Land Ball has been beautifully illustrated by watercolor artist Emanuela Serafina, and it is ready to print! In order to cover production costs and print 500 copies, I need to raise $3000 in pre-sales. I have created several packages for my Indiegogo supporters. Among the perks:
- An autographed book, the Candy Land Ball, with piano sheet music and a download code for the song. Autographed by me, Katy Hobgood Ray.
- The CD We’re Going to Confetti Park!, with 21 tracks of magical songs and jumprope jingles featuring a kids chorus and a star-studded lineup of New Orleans musicians. This CD won a Parents’ Choice® Award and includes the song “Candy Land Ball.”
- An autographed copy of The Little Mouse Santi, our first children’s book, which won a Moonbeam Award, a Mom’s Choice Award, and was named by Kirkus Reviews as A Best Indie Book of 2015. Autographed by author David Eugene Ray. (Listen for the track “Dream Big, Little Santi” on the CD!)
- For top level supporters, a splendid gourmet candy gift basket—the stuff of the sweetest dreams at the Candy Land Ball!
- 10% of every transaction on Indiegogo will be donated to the nonprofit 501(c)3 Confetti Kids, Inc. I have been a passionate volunteer for this grassroots volunteer organization ever since my son was born.
Thank you for your support!

I am so grateful to you for supporting the Candy Land Ball storybook! I hope you love your perks, the music and the stories. Please help me get the word out about this campaign if you know someone who would enjoy them, too.

Connect with me on Facebook. I’ll keep you updated on my progress!

Sincerely,

Katy
Storytime – Mr. Okra Sells Fresh Fruits & Vegetables by Lashon Daley

Mr. Okra Sells Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

It’s Confetti Park Storytime! In this episode, we hear a wonderful New Orleans tale based on our favorite contemporary street vendor, Mr. Okra. The story was written in collaboration with Mr. Okra by Lashon Daley, and illustrated by Emile Henriquez. We are so lucky to have the story narrated for us by the author!

And who is Mr. Okra? He is Arthur Robinson, a real life man who lives in New Orleans today! He a street vendor who sells produce from a truck. We New Orleanians love to hear his recognizable call.

“Up and down the streets of New Orleans, Mr. Okra drives his brightly painted truck. All over the city, you can hear his call: ‘I got oranges and bananas! I got tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocadoes!’ His fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables are as colorful as Mardi Gras floats, as green as the St. Charles Streetcar, and as different as the animals at the Audubon Zoo. Taste and tour New Orleans in this colorful story.”

Lashon Daley and Mr. Okra

Lashon Daley came to New Orleans to work with a nonprofit rebuilding organization as an AmeriCorps member. During that time, Daley discovered the joys of performing as a storyteller, sparking her interest in New Orleans folklore and the stories residents tell. Today she is in Berkeley, California, where she is pursuing her PhD in performance studies.

The colorful illustrations in the book were created by Emile Henriquez, a native New Orleanian who was born in the French Quarter. An art teacher, he also illustrated The Oklahoma Land Run, Toby Belfer Learns about Heroes and Martyrs, The Battle of New Orleans: The Drummer’s Story, D.J. and the Debutante Ball, D.J. and the Jazz Fest, and D.J. and the Zulu Parade.

Thank you, Lashon, for sharing your lovely book on Confetti Park! It is for sale on Amazon.

And here is Mr. Okra himself performing with the Confetti Park Players.
Storytime: Ten Little Crawfish by Melinda Falgoust
In this episode of Confetti Park, I am delighted to share the story of the Ten Little Crawfish, marvelously narrated by the author and illustrator, Melinda Taliancich Falgoust.

Ten little crawfish, swimmin’ in da swamp.
One thought he heard some Zydeco and
stopped to dance and stomp….

This is Melinda’s brand-new counting concept board book that someday will be on the shelf of every Louisiana kid. Join the ten little crawfish as they count down through the Crescent City and some of its best-known landmarks.

We are so lucky to have Melinda read it to us!

The New Orleans-based author and illustrator is currently taking pre-orders for this adorable and entertaining book through IndieGoGo. Be among the first to get it. (I think it’s going to be a classic!)
- With its ten, tasty crustaceans, the savory silliness appeals to a young reader’s developing sense of humor and helps them create a positive association with books.
- The patterned text also makes it easy for preschoolers to jump in and participate.
- The sights and sounds of New Orleans encourage young children’s fascinations about the world around them and lets them know the things they love can be found in books!
Regular listeners of Confetti Park know that Melinda is one of our wonderful regular contributors. She is incredibly prolific (she works very hard, kids!) and has a wide-range of books for both children and adults. Visit her website.

Listen to an interview with Melinda Taliancich Falgoust on Confetti Park

Listen to more of her stories:

Her Royal Majesty, the Superhero Bride of Frankenstein

Footprints

Lousy Liver
Storytime: Adolpheaux, the Adventurous Dolphin by Tommie Townsley

In this episode of Confetti Park, children’s author Tommie Townsley of Lake Charles, Louisiana narrates the story of Adolpheaux, the Adventurous Dolphin.

In this Cajun animal tale, a small dolphin bravely sets out to discover what human beings are all about. His curiosity leads to an amazing alliance between himself and a sister and brother who will never forget him. This lovely tale teaches children to obey their mothers in order to stay safe in a world fraught with danger. This lively watery adventure is set in The Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana.

This narration of Amos the Artistic Alligator is shared here with permission from Tommie. The book, illustrated by Anne Dentler, is available for purchase on Amazon and at http://kidscajuntales.com/

Buy on Amazon

Tommie Townsley was born in Sulphur, Louisiana and now lives in Lake Charles. She is Cajun and has written numerous children’s books about Cajun life, many of them about animals. Tommie is the chairperson of the Southwest Louisiana Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Guild and publisher of Ally-Gator BookBites Publishing House in Lake Charles. Learn about Tommie Townsley and check out her books at http://kidscajuntales.com/