" The Fifolet is a great, spooky story steeped in Cajun folklore but told in typical Johnette Downing fashion--just silly enough to not give you nightmares!" --Bree Sargent, education director, Acadiana Center for the Arts Down by the swamp, where alligators roam, legend says a treasure is buried out past the water on the edge of the beach. To find this prize, follow the fifolet as it bounces and bounds across the bayou, bright and blue against the dark water below. Just as quick as it comes, the light disappears, faster than you can say "will-o'-the-wisp." Monsieur Jean-Paul Pierre fishes in Atchafalaya from sunrise to sunset, and he loves nothing more than nets bursting with fish and bushels overflowing with crabs. Even though he takes home so much, he does not share. Mountains of fresh seafood cannot keep greedy Jean-Paul from wanting more; this time he has his heart set on the fifolet's buried treasure. Following the dancing bayou sprite, Monsieur Pierre hopes to find riches beyond belief. This is where the story of the fifolet begins, but for Jean-Paul, the tale never ends.
Jennifer Lindsley's fluid watercolor illustrations evoke the atmosphere of the bayou-cypress trees, swamp creatures, and bubbling water touched by moonlight. The illusive and mischievous fifolet flits across the pages as a swirl, then a shimmering light, and then, finally, a bright blue flame. Find out what becomes of Monsieur Pierre in this delightfully eerie folktale from award-winning storyteller and children's musician Johnette Downing. Johnette Downing is a multi-award-winning, internationally recognized singer, songwriter, and author. Her many accolades include eight Parents' Choice Awards, four iParenting Media Awards, and five National Parenting Publication Awards. She wrote and illustrated There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Bugs, My Aunt Came Back from Louisiane, Why the Crawfish Lives in the Mud, Amazon Alphabet, and How to Dress a Po' Boy and is the author of Chef Creole, Down in Louisiana, Why the Oyster Has the Pearl, Why the Possum Has a Large Grin, Today Is Monday in Louisiana, Today Is Monday in Texas, Today Is Monday in New York, Today Is Monday in Kentucky, and Macarooned on a Dessert Island, all available from Pelican. Downing and her husband, Scott Billington, reside in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Newburyport, Massachusetts. A Louisiana-based artist and illustrator, Jennifer Lindsley received her associate of arts in acting from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles, California, and her bachelor of arts in design technology from the University of Northern Colorado.
She is an art instructor in New Orleans, Louisiana, and works with children and adults. Lindsley teaches age-specific classes and specialty art classes, hosts art parties, and gives private lessons at ACME Studios, LLC (A Creative Method of Expression), where she is the proprietor. Lindsley lives in New Orleans, Louisiana.