(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jarrett Pumphrey & Jerome Pumphrey. The Pumphrey brothers employ understated storytelling, wry humor, and skillful cartooning throughout this entertaining original fable. The premise is simple. Four bayou critters (an opossum, a squirrel, a rabbit, and a mouse) are attempting to cross a river when they happen upon a mysterious green tail. The opossum, squirrel, and rabbit each makes a different, uninformed assumption about the tail (respectively declaring it "sneaky," "scary," and "mean"), but all three share the same fate: a scaly "SMACK" into the river. Only the mouse seeks out more information, discovering that the tail is tied to a log. Evoking heroic mice from folklore, the mouse frees the stranger (unsurprisingly revealed to be an alligator) with a few nibbles. An amusing tension builds when the alligator offers the mouse a ride across the river, leading to the conclusion: "I think we've become friends. And friends don't eat friends. Besides...I ate some strangers earlier." Pitch-perfect pacing develops a repetitive rhythm reminiscent of oral storytelling, while, in the illustrations, subtle variations in body language, eye position, and panel size/shape provide meaningful subtext. The earthy palette and block-print imagery are graphically grounded, while conveying plenty of textural nuance and depth through subtle layering. Both a cautionary tale and a thrilling romp, this surefire read-aloud will be embraced especially by fans of Klassen's celebrated hat trilogy.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) YA Appelt personifies Texas' Buffalo Bayou as it witnesses complex backstories from the past and present. Readers meet contemporary sixteen-year-old Cade; his father, who promised he'd leave newborn Cade for adoption but couldn't let him go; and freed slave Achsah, attempting to lead her daughters to freedom through the Underground Railroad in 1845. Readers are entrusted with putting the pieces together to make their own connections before the final denouement.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(3) PS Illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon. In this We're Going on a Bear Hunt–esque story, a black-girl narrator invites us on an epic quest to see an alligator up close and personal. On the trip, readers encounter bayou wildlife as well as the thrill of suspense as Gator's presence looms ("Better start that motor quick!...Time's a-wastin'! Chugga Chugga. Click. Click. Click"). The exciting excursion is illustrated in bright earthy and aquatic hues.

Reviewer: Monique Harris

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Joseph Kuefler. Evangeline is a twelve-year-old aspiring "haunt huntress" learning the family trade at her grandmother's Louisiana bayou home. When Gran is hired to dispatch a werewolf-like rougarou in New Orleans, Evangeline discovers that she may not have inherited Gran's powers after all. Eldredge's fantasy world, based in Creole mythology, is vividly depicted and full of detail. It's a satisfying coming-of-age story with bonus supernatural battles. Glos.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(3) 4-6 After moving to a new town, twelve-year-old Sam is beaten mercilessly by bullies. Humiliated, he finds refuge exploring Mississippi's Pascagoula River bayous. When he encounters a strange boy hiding in an abandoned camp, Sam decides to show his own bravery and help--a decision that becomes dangerous and complicated. In a plot containing much drama and many threads, Key nicely depicts survival in the wild.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(3) 4-6 Birdie and her big, lovable dog Bowser (Woof; Arf) investigate a third mystery in the Louisiana bayou. When a developer offers a cash reward for a bull shark spotted nearby, the race is on between environmentalists and fishermen. But one of the talented latter--Birdie's grandmother's employee, Snoozy--has disappeared. Bowser's witty narration meshes well with the entertaining story's suspense.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(3) YA Sixteen-year-old orphan Yonie supports herself in the Bad Bayous by interpreting the "guile" in objects customers bring her. After seeing clients with unusually malevolent objects, Yonie embarks on a quest that reveals secrets about guile and also about her family's history. Cooper's fresh fantasy boasts a new kind of magic, a compellingly original watery world, and memorable characters (including a talking cat).

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) 4-6 Nightsiders series. Now hunted for his war-altering artifacts, eleven-year-old scavenger Milo (The Orphan Army) learns the Huntsman has a new magical ally. Plenty of danger keeps the plot racing, but other than a few reveals, little develops in this second sci-fi/fantasy mash-up. Milo's moral struggles and his friends' attempts to put differences aside will keep readers interested as Maberry sets up book three.

Reviewer: Lauren Chambers

(3) 4-6 In this sequel to Woof, Bowser, Birdie's large, loyal dog, has a second mystery to solve in the Louisiana bayous: someone broke into Birdie's house but didn't take anything. If only Bowser could communicate what his nose tells him! The dog's narration is again hilarious, but it doesn't detract from the serious issues of murder, grief, and job loss explored in the book.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(4) 4-6 Nightsiders series. In a dystopic America ravaged by monstrous alien Bugs, eleven-year-old Louisiana boy Milo teams up with also-beleaguered magical creatures such as werewolves, dryads, and witches (the Nightsiders) to challenge the invaders. The pace and plot are uneven: at times overly talky and descriptive, at others full of action. But the mix of science fiction and fantasy is original, and Milo is a character worth following.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) 4-6 As in Quinn's Chet and Bernie mystery series for adults, Woof is written from a dog's point of view. Bowser, a big, lovable mutt, adores Birdie, his new owner, and is determined to help her solve the mystery of her grandmother's missing stuffed marlin. A possible hidden treasure, family secrets, and a hilarious dog combine to make this an entertaining Louisiana-bayou-set mystery.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(4) 4-6 It's nine-year-old Maddy's turn to visit Grandmère and have a bayou summer in Louisiana. Unfortunately, her visit coincides with the 2010 oil spill. The richly drawn characters, setting, and bayou community of the first half of the novel are undermined by a plot that turns magical--where fireflies and mermaids become the hope for saving one part of the Gulf.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Rob Dunlavey. Set in the wetlands of the Mississippi River Delta, this book relates the actions of bayou wildlife as a hurricane approaches, occurs, and abates; creatures scurry for shelter, endure the onslaught, and survive the storm. Both the text's shifting cadence and Dunlavey's mixed-media illustrations artfully capture the dark, foreboding nature of the approaching storm, its fury, and the calm after. Author's note. Websites.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) 4-6 Larissa begins to notice strange things in her family's antique shop. A doll watches her. A disconnected phone rings on its own, and the voice on the other end sends Larissa on a journey through time to break her family's curse. Lush descriptions of the Louisiana bayou create an atmosphere that will make it easy for readers to believe in the supernatural.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Gerald Guerlais. This adaptation of the popular tale is set in Louisiana. The animated cartoon-style illustrations are in keeping with the over-the-top tone of the text. Fisherman Jacques's wife, Jolie, demands more and more from the wish-granting catfish, including making her a paddle wheel–boat entertainer and queen of Mardi Gras. Of course, she gets her comeuppance. A seafood gumbo recipe is appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) 4-6 A gang of feral hogs is thundering toward Bayou Tourterelle, delirious at the prospect of wild sugarcane; raccoon Swamp Scouts Bingo and J'miah are ready for them. A human drama unfolds, too, as Chap Brayburn and his mother try to save the bayou from being turned into a theme park. Appelt's folksy romp includes a multitude of oddball characters--and a touch of magic.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2013

(3) 4-6 When twelve-year-old Sawyer and nine-year-old Elvira's mother goes into a decline after their father dies and a fish swallows her wedding ring, brother and sister and a cadre of friends set out to catch Ol' One Eye, the biggest catfish in the bayou. The authors capture the cadences and ambiance of the Mississippi Delta in a satisfying quest/tall tale/coming-of-age novel.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) 4-6 Shelby Jayne is not happy to be living in the bayou with her mother Mirage, a traiteur (healer) who left when Shelby was ten. A tree filled with blue glass bottles and secret messages, a mysterious new friend, and a charm bracelet that seems to hold special powers figure into this lyrical story about fitting in, forgiveness, and understanding.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by J. Rutland. "Up and down the bayou / you could hear the sound / of those rowdy reptiles / pounding the ground." Recalling "Froggy Went A-Courtin'," this toe-tapper takes readers to an alligator wedding, complete with cobweb bridal veil and crawfish bouquet. The plot's on the thin side, but the bayou-flavored story and illustrations are packed with humorous details.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 4-6 Livie feels guilty for causing her mother's coma, but she doesn't think she can tell anyone about it. After visiting a traiteur in the bayou, she receives a healing spell for Mom that will only work if she has faith. This endearing tale of love and forgiveness will resonate with readers as they share in Livie's journey toward self-realization.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear