LITTLE PIERRE:
A Cajun Story from Louisiana
by Robert D. San Souci
Illustrated by David Catrow
Silver Whistle / Harcourt, Inc., 2003
[ages 5-8], PreS - Grade 3,
Hardcover, Picture Book Fiction
ISBN: 0-15-202482-4
$16.00 USA
Trim size: 10" x 10"
32 pages
Full-color illustrations

A very tiny but clever boy outwits his older brothers, an ogre, an alligator, and a giant catfish to rescue a rich man's daughter in this Cajun version of a French fairy tale.

Little Pierre may be small, but he's got more marbles rolling round in his itty-bitty noggin than his four big, lazy brothers heaped together. Yet they just call him runt and ignore him. Course, when the good-for-nothing brothers flub their attempt to rescue a damsel in distress from the Swamp Ogre, it falls on Little Pierre to rescue them. Will this half-pint hero find out that his brothers were right all along--brains don't beat brawn?

Robert D. San Souci and David Catrow, the creators of the acclaimed Cinderella Skeleton, serve up a Cajun-spiced Tom Thumb tale straight from the Louisiana bayou.

Includes a glossary of Cajun words and an author's note about the origin of the story.

"San Souci's retelling has a rhythmic, rocking flair, and the fast-flowing text will work for storytelling, as well as reading aloud. Catrow packs his busy bayou with personality . . . the sweep of these watercolor illustrations exhibits continued mastery of diverse perspectives and balanced compositions. An extensive authors note provides a variety of written sources for this spicy retelling." -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"What a rollicking story time it promises. San Souci infuses his story with an easy Cajun lilt, making this tale mighty agreeable, it." -- The Horn Book

"An enjoyable tale of a Cajun Tom Thumb, perfectly paired with Catrow's lush watercolor paintings." -- School Library Journal

"[A] frisky retelling . . . San Souci (The Talking Eggs) and Catrow (Plantzilla) communicate sheer delight in the talk's zany hyperbole. The Cajun dialect and funny colloquialisms seem organic to San Souci's cadenced storytelling, while Catrow's mottled, high-wattage watercolors ratchet up the absurdity with grossly exaggerated caricuatures." -- Publishers Weekly

"This is a fun, imaginative children's book that parallels the well-known stories of Tom Thumb. . . . the brightly colored illustrations are certainly unique, and each piece of art will keep young readers occupied . . . . I think it is appropriate for children ages 5 and older, and for the adult who is still a child at heart." -- American Press, Lake Charles, LA

"Now, Little Pierre, he small-small, smart-smart, and he work hard, him. His brothers, they lazy ones, them. When they try to rescue tres-jolie Marie-Louise from the Swamp Ogre, then Little Pierre, he gonna have to rescue them all! Now, how he trick Swamp Ogre, and 12-leggy swamp gator, and biggest mud catfish he ever seen? Robert San Souci, he tell how, and David Catrow, he show how, and you, you gonna laugh big-big at this tricksy-tricksy Lousianne tale."--Kerri "the Cajun" Lyons, BookPeople, Austin, TX (as quoted in The Autumn 2003 Children's Book Sense 76 ).

"A hoot, fuh shore, for true." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A wonderful book." INFODAD.COM: Family-Focused Reviews of Books, Software, Music & More

Robert D. San Souci lives in San Francisco, California.

David Catrow is an award-winning, nationally syndicated political cartoonist and the illustrator of many popular children's picture books, including THE EMPEROR'S OLD CLOTHES and SHE'S WEARING A DEAD BIRD ON HER HEAD!, both written by Kathryn Lasky. The latter was named a New York Times Book Review
Best Illustrated Book of the Year in 1995. David Catrow lives in Springfield, Ohio.