Mailbox - Letters from Friends and Fans

"Yesterday I took Elise to the library to see Johnette Downing, a children's author and musician. She writes the most wonderful childrens books and we got her to sign our copy of Chef Creole. She played guitar and sang for the children and everyone danced and sang along. Elise loved it!"

-Leatherman Baby Blog

Mailbox - Letters from Friends and Fans

"My 6 year old was just slurping cereal singing…today is Monday, today is Monday…and I thought about you!"

Cheers!

LeAnne, parent, Mandeville, LA

Reader Views: By Kids for Kids

This review appeared in Reader Views: By Kids for Kids

Reviewed by Grayce Richardson (age 5) for Reader Views (4/09): 

“Chef Creole is a cook man. Oooh, boudin! I liked his nose. I want some of those ingredients and I 

liked it when they said his name is Chef Creole, Creole, Creole. I think I would add to this book 

pickles for his cheeks. He’s missing ears.” 

Parent’s Note: 

Grayce really enjoyed the repetition in this book and the idea of ingredients making the Chef’s face. 

It’s nicely written with a New Orlean’s flavor and feel. At the end, I might suggest adding a recipe 

from the Chef’s kitchen that a child could make. Overall, “Chef Creole” by Johnette Downing is a 

fun book and one Grayce likes to read.

Just One

Here is another cute thing a child said to me that I just had to share with you. I had a reading and book signing for my Chef Creole book last night at the Barnes & Noble in Harvey, LA. Since my books are songs, I sang the book. During the song, there was a little three year old boy in the front row dancing up a storm. After the reading/singing, I signed books. After patiently standing in line for quite some time, the three year old dancer made it to my table. I commented on this fabulous dancing and he just blushed. His parents had purchased one of my books and he gave it to me to sign. I asked the little boy, "Can you spell your name for me?" He proceeded to spell his name very slowly like a three year old would; L......a........n........d........o..........n.  I patiently waited for him to spell his name and I wrote each letter down as he recited it to me. I then said, "So, I am going to write To Landon." Landon immediately corrected me, "No, I'm just one." 

Appetite for Culture: Food as Identity

Check out this feature about yours truly in Louisiana Cultural Vistas!


Appetite for Culture: Food as Identity
Editor's Column from Louisiana Cultural Vistas, Spring 2009
http://www.leh.org/editorials/appetite_culture.html


Here in Louisiana while our cultural identity is characterized by our uniqueness, we inevitably begin to take it for granted and develop contempt for the familiar, sometimes to the point of succumbing to alien cultural influences, in other words Americanization. One of the most distinct markers of culture is cuisine, and with good reason Louisiana cuisine is widely bruited as the best and most distinctive in the country. Yet, with so extraordinary a cuisine native to our own state and family traditions (81 percent of Louisiana residents were born here), how does one account for the proliferation of McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Shoney’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut and other such American atrocities to good taste, which far outnumber the local gastronomic options?It wasn’t until my friend, the children’s musician and author Johnette Downing, was contracted to expand her book about Louisiana cuisine, Today is Monday in Louisiana, into a series featuring other states such as New York, North Carolina, and Texas that I fully realized how sadly limited are the rest of the states in having distinctly defined foods. Johnette’s book, written for children, is structured simply around assigning a distinctive food for each of the days of a week, commencing with the classic red beans and rice for Monday. For Louisiana, finding seven distinctive dishes is literally child’s play, because there is such a plethora of options that could be only specific to Louisiana and no other state. By way of illustration, here is a quick two dozen: jambalaya, blackened redfish, beignets, shrimp creole, crawfish pie, red beans and rice, chicory coffee, chicken etouffee, fried softshell crabs, ersters Rockefeller, ersters Bienville, pralines, roux, gumbo, crawfish bisque, barbeque shrimp, corn maque choux, calas, redfish courtbouillon, cochon de lait, boudin, alligator sausage, andouille, and tasso. Once one gets momentum, even more start to tumble from memory of great meals and common foods: po’boys, dirty rice, bananas foster, creole tomatoes, satsumas, Natchitoches meat pies, king cake, turtle soup, Tabasco sauce, alligator sauce piquant, café au lait, cracklins, creole cream cheese, mirlitons, not to mention all the inventive variations on a theme: crawfish etouffee, crawfish sacks, fried crawfish ... a week would hardly be enough to encompass a catalogue; we would need a month.

Identity Crisis
Trying to employ the same principle of selection — i.e. a food that was not only widely consumed in a particular state, but could not equally be claimed by another state — leads to an exercise in futility for any other state, even ones such as New York or North Carolina which are more populous and longer-settled. For New York, for example, a few items come quickly to mind: bagels, NY cheesecake, Manhattan clam chowder, pastrami, buffalo chicken wings, Long Island duckling (apparently now all raised in the Midwest as suburbia chewed up the chicken farms), but the list of dishes unique to New York quickly comes up short. The state fruit, the apple, is hardly unique to New York, any more than is wine or cheddar cheese, and while there is some debate as to the origin of pizza (Trenton, New Haven, and Chicago all seem to have competing claims), it is now so ubiquitous that the connection to New York seems tenuous at best. One could make a case for an occasional esoteric item such as “beef on weck” a roast beef on a caraway roll (kummelweck) sandwich unique to Buffalo, but virtually unheard of in the rest of the state. One consultant in all seriousness actually suggested Chinese take-out as an option, which only serves to illustrate the point about how limited is cuisine as a definer of culture in the five boroughs.

Regional versus Local
North Carolina serves as an interesting case of how regional influences supercede local identity. Surveying locals as to regional dishes one learned of a few truly esoteric dishes, some with good reason, such as “liver mush” — a concoction of pig’s liver and cornmeal highly touted in the town of Shelby. While there are a few other foods or culinary traditions that might be distinctive to the state, such as the scuppernong grape, and the Sunday “pig pickin’”, most of its other claims actually originate in other states: Brunswick stew, which hails from Virginia, and shrimp and grits, which originates in South Carolina. Of its other most common food markers — barbeque ribs, fried chicken, and pecan pie — all are clearly regional dishes common to virtually every southern state and not unique to North Carolina, any more than was the suggestion of one informant who proposed spaghetti and meat balls for the state’s list.The evidence of regional and nationalizing influence on cuisine and its encroachment on our own communities should both give us pause, and spur us to cherish even more fiercely our distinctive cuisine and its centrality in defining who we are. Louisiana may not lead the nation in many markers of civilization, but in cuisine we stand unchallenged.

—Michael Sartisky, Editor-In-Chief

Mailbox - Letters from Friends and Fans

Just wanted to say that your last concert for TNT was your best! The children are still talking about you! Thanks again so much for the wonderful night. You are so very talented and your gift is truly making children happy!

-Leslie Domingues, Tots N Tunes, Northlake Academy of Music, Mandeville, LA
http://www.totsntunes.net/

Back in the Studio!

As promised, I am going into the recording studio next week to record the songs that accompany my books, and a new CD titled Boogie Woogie Bugs. It will take a month or two to finish the recording and then I will ship them off to be manufactured. So stay tuned for news about the new CD release.

Updated Tour Dates - April 2009

April 5 from 12:30-2:30, Book Signing, A Tisket A Tasket, French Quarter, New Orleans, LA
April 5 from 3:00-5:00, Book Signing, Louisiana Food Festival, French Quarter, New Orleans, LA
April 9 from 7:00-9:00, Book Signing & Reading, Barnes & Noble, Metairie, LA
April 11 at 2:00, Concert and Book Signing, Southern Food & Beverage Museum, Riverwalk, New Orleans, LA
April 18 from 7:00-8:30 p.m., Book Signing, Barnes & Noble, Harvey, LA
April 19 at 3:15, Concert, Kids Stage, French Quarter Festival, New Orleans, LA
April 24 at 5:30, Concert, Grand Opening of Westside Regional Library, Alexandria, LA
April 25 at 10:00 and 11:00, Concert, Peyton Arts Festival, First United Methodist Church, Alexandria, LA
April 25 from 3:00-4:00, Book Signing, School Aids, Alexandria, LA

Plenty of Smiles and Giggles - Why the Crawfish Lives in the Mud Review

"Johnette Downing has shaped a clever just-so story out of the flora and fauna and mud of south Louisiana. There are plenty of smiles and giggles, and readers will even pick up a few Cajun expressions along the way. Once again, Downing has created a tale as lively and melodic as her wonderful song-and-story performances."

-Michael Tisserand
author of Sugarcane Academy and The Kingdom of Zydeco

Tour Dates - April 2009

April 9 from 7:00-9:00, Book Signing & Reading, Barnes & Noble, Metairie, LA
April 11 at 2:00, Concert, Southern Food & Beverage Museum, Riverwalk, New Orleans, LA
April 18 from 7:00-8:30 p.m., Book Signing, Barnes & Noble, Harvey, LA
April 19 at 3:15, Concert, Kids Stage, French Quarter Festival, New Orleans, LA
April 25 at 10:00 and 11:00, Concert, Peyton Arts Festival, First United Methodist Church, Alexandria, LA
April 25 from 3:00-4:00, Book Signing, School Aids, Alexandria, LA

Mailbox - Letters from Friends and Fans

"Douglas has been playing guitar for 6 years now and for almost 2 years has been playing stand-up bass in a couple of orchestra groups. We always tell people that he got his inspiration from his amazing Pre-K music teacher who made him want to play guitar. I use your music with my first graders all the time!!"

- Robin Snyder, Parent and Teacher

Thanks Robin! Douglas was always a dynamic and kind student in my class. I feel blessed to have inspired him along his journey. He certainly inspired me.

Tour Schedule - March 2009

March 1-3, Middle East Performance and Workshop Tour, Oman

March 4-10, Middle East Performance and Workshop Tour, Bahrain

March 11-19, Middle East Performance and Workshop Tour, United Arab Emirates

March 26 at 5:30, Tots N Tunes, Mandeville, LA

March 28 from 11:00-12:00, Book Signing and Reading, Playville, Covington, LA

March 31 at 3:30, Jeff Davis Library and Carnegie Library Co-sponsors, Jennings, LA

On Tour in the Middle East - Oman

Well, I'm in the Middle East again and having a great time. I just finished my tour in Oman. It was my first visit to the country and I was so impressed with the beauty and warm hospitality.  I stayed in Muscat and conducted workshops for educators in Sohar and Nizwa.  Dedicated teachers traveled from all over the country  (Batinah North, Dhahairah, Buraimi, Musandam, Batinah South, Dakliyah, Sharqiyah South, Sarqiyah North and Wusta) to attend my workshops and they were eager to learn techniques for using music as a teaching tool in the classroom. They even taught me a song or two (many thanks)! 

Many ladies made delicious homemade dishes such as halwa (the official dessert of Oman) to delight our taste buds and I was treated to some tourist treasures such as the Al Hoota Cave. The cave is home to the eight-eyed spider found only in the that cave. Luckily, the eight-eyed spider didn't have his eyes on me or me on him, but I did see some local bats hanging around. 

My hosts Walter and Michelle went above and beyond to make my tour enjoyable and successful. Michelle gave me many Omani gifts including a book of folk tales that she assures me will make my hair stand on end! I hope to return to Oman again soon, Inshallah, and want to thank everyone who made my tour so enjoyable. Shokran!

Next stop, Bahrain!

More Praise for Upcoming Book!

Here is more praise for my upcoming book Why The Crawfish Lives in the Mud:

"Snappy dialogue spiced up with French words and phrases make this jaunty story a sure-fire winner. Young readers will be delighted by this amusing, lively trickster tale that explains how the conniving Crawfish tries to fool Crab, but ends up digging himself into a hole. The cut-foam illustrations are colorful and lively. Facts about crawfish and a helpful glossary are appended. Johnette Downing, Louisiana’s popular children’s musician, has written and illustrated a charming book about critters that live in the bayous."

-Gale Criswell, former Children's Services Coordinator, Louisiana State Library

Why The Crawfish Lives in the Mud - Advance Review

Here is another wonderful advance review for my upcoming book Why the Crawfish Lives in the Mud:

"Johnette Downing possesses an uncanny knack for engaging children and charming them with words and pictures or as a musician capturing and expressing the essence of musical styles and making them come alive and engage children. I have literally seen an entire auditorium sprout a sea of arms swaying to her musical summons. Her books are lively and original and speak "children" as if it were a language unto itself. Both her books and music teach without seeming to by invoking joy and cleverness."

-Dr. Michael Sartisky, President and Executive Director, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities

Why The Crawfish Lives in the Mud - Review

Here is another advance review for my upcoming book Why The Crawfish Lives in The Mud:

Move over Anansi, the Spider!! You have competition from trickster Crawfish in a delightful story, visually appealing and rich in text, focusing on animal life in the Bayou between a crab and a crawfish. Crawfish Fun Facts add a nice touch for the reader to gain knowledge about crawfish.

- Nancy O'Connell, Children's Services Librarian, Schaumburg Library, IL

Chef Creole a Big Hit in Our Class.

Here is a letter I received from a teacher and friend at Isidore Newman School. I'll try to upload the image. It is just too cute.

Johnette,
Here is a picture drawn by one of our kids. Chef Creole is a big hit in our class, and is actually one of the few things that will come them down when they get wild in the room! The children break out into song periodically during centers, and the parents have even commented that they are hearing it at home.

Keep up the great work!

Holly Dalferes
Pre-K 3 - Forest Class
Isidore Newman School

Publishers Weekly

My upcoming book Why the Crawfish Lives in the Mud has already gained the attention of Publishers Weekly. Here is the blurb they recently issued:

Why the Crawfish Lives in the Mud by Johnette Downing, a southern-flavored fable. 

-Publishers Weekly, Fall 2009 Preview

New Book Coming Out - Fall 2009

I am thrilled to announce that I have a new book coming out this Fall 2009 titled Why the Crawfish Lives in the Mud published by Pelican Publishing. I am the author and illustrator of this original trickster/origin tale. Here is more information about the book:

A long time ago, when Crab and Crawfish were still best friends, Crawfish was feeling particularly lazy––and particularly hungry—as he loafed around the muggy bayou. When Crab arrived with a fish, Crawfish took one listen to his empty belly and decided to trick his good-natured friend.

After Crab realizes Crawfish has made a fool of him again, he isn’t happy, and before he knows it, Crawfish gets exactly what he deserves. A charming tale cautioning children about the consequences of cheating your friends, this colorful picture book from the critically acclaimed Johnette Downing will delight readers of all ages with its timeless and gentle lesson about integrity.

Lively collage-style illustrations, a glossary of Cajun words and phrases, including entries such as “cher” (dear or friend) and “beaucoup” (much), and a list of crawfish “fun facts” make this book an irresistible read.

Johnette Downing is an award-winning, internationally recognized singer/songwriter who performs original children’s music inspired by her Louisiana heritage. Her many accolades include six Parents’ Choice Awards, three iParenting Media Awards, an Imagination Award, among others. She is the author of Pelican’s Chef Creole, Down in Louisiana, Today Is Monday in Louisiana, and My Aunt Came Back from Louisiane, which she also illustrated.

North Carolina Tour A Big Success

Today is my last day in North Carolina after a very successful tour here. My educator workshop and keynote at the Cape Fear AEYC Conference in Wilmington was so much fun. I met so many talented teachers who attended my workshop; so talented in fact that I asked them to participate in the keynote with me. I ended the keynote with a Second Line parade led by teacher who was a former New Orleans area resident. The Second Line was my tribute to Mardi Gras.  

During the conference, I met a very nice children's musician named David Kiser from Kentucky and we were able to have dinner together and talk about children's music. We were served the largest creme brule I have ever seen! Yummy!

After the conference, I sped over to the Wilmington Library for a standing-room-only crowd concert! Wow! Margaret, the children's librarian, and I were shocked at the attendance. They ran out of chairs. Unfortunately, we had microphone malfunctions, but at least my voice could be heard and the enthusiastic audience didn't seem to mind  or notice one bit! 

Next came my concerts at the High Point Library in High Point, NC. Jim, Abigail and the children's services staff are always a delight with which to work. Though the microphones were not working there either, we made the best of it and, again, the audience didn't seem to mind one bit. Go North Carolina fans!!

After High Point, I traveled to Asheville, NC for some rest and relaxation in the mountain home of a friend. It snowed three days while in the mountains and I was able to run outside in the freezing weather long enough to make and throw a few snowballs. Too much fun!

Now, I head back to New Orleans on Mardi Gras Day. I'll be home for only a few days before I head back on the road for a twenty day tour in the Middle East (Oman, Bahrain and UAE). Frequent flyers miles indeed!

Happy Mardi Gras!

Happy Mardi Gras friends and fans! I will miss it this year because I will be on tour in North Carolina, but I will be bringing Carnival with me wherever I go!

I hope to see all my North Carolina fans at the shows! See my schedule below.

The Advocate Review

Two new, easy-to-read books with food theme available for children
By CHERAMIE SONNIER, Food writer
The Advocate
Published: Jan 29, 2009

More publishers have started offering easy-to-read books with a food theme for young children.Pelican Publishing Co., of Gretna, has two new, colorful, fiction picture books with Louisiana food themes that small children will enjoy. Each costs $15.95.“The Cajun Cornbread Boy” by Dianne de Las Casas and illustrated by Marita Gentry, is an adaption of “The Gingerbread Boy” folktale. The book is about an old Cajun woman who more than anything wants a child and decides to make a cornbread boy. She adds a big dash of cayenne pepper to the batter. The boy runs away and soon has encounters with a raccoon, a fox and an alligator. The story has a surprise ending, and the book closes with a recipe for Southern Cornbread. A glossary of French terms used in the book is included.

For the second book, “Chef Creole,” Louisiana singer and songwriter Johnette Downing has adapted a traditional song, “Aiken Drum.” The book is illustrated by Deborah Ousley Kadair. Chef Creole is a man from New Orleans whose hair is made of rice, his eyes of red beans, his nose of okra, and his mouth, a praline. He plays upon a ladle and sings of Louisiana food. The book includes a glossary of the Louisiana foods mentioned in the “Chef Creole” song, and it ends with the written music.

Tour Schedule - February 2009

Here is my public performance tour schedule for February. School and private events are not listed. I hope to see you when I am in your area!

February 14 at 8:30, Educator Workshop, Cape Fear AEYC, Castle Hayne, NC
February 14 at 12:00, Keynote Speaker and Educator Workshop, Cape Fear AEYC, Castle Hayne, NC
February 14 at 4:00, New Hanover County Public Library, Wilmington, NC
February 19 at 3:00 & 7:00, High Point Library, High Point, NC
February 25 from 10:00-2:00, Book Signing, Hudson News Store, New Orleans International Airport, Kenner, LA
February 28, Middle East Performance Tour, Oman

Music Monthly - January 2009

Make Music a Goal in 2009!

The New Year is always a great time to set goals, make a plan of action and accomplish something new. Consider making music one of your goals for 2009. Here are some suggestions:

1) Attend at least one live concert per month.
2) Tithe a percentage of your income to a music school, group or organization.
3) Create a weekly or monthly family music night.
4) Learn to play a musical instrument.
5) Practice playing a musical instrument once a day, week or month.
6) Support local radio programs, record stores, musicians and music venues.
7) Attend music festivals regularly.
8) Buy season tickets to the opera, symphony or a concert series.
9) Enroll your child in weekly music classes.
10) Support musicians by purchasing or downloading original copies of their work instead of sharing unauthorized burned copies of their music.
11) Sing in the shower, in the car and in and around your home every day.
12) Expand your musical horizons by exploring various genres of music each month.
13) Share the gift of music with your children.

Johnette Downing Knows Kids

Here is a great book review for My Aunt Came Back from Louisiane:


By The Independent Staff
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

FOR THE KIDS

Johnette Downing knows kids, and she knows what they like. For 13 years she taught kids music at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans. As a musician and songwriter, she’s produced seven CDs of original children’s music, and she’s also the author of four children’s books, all of which focus on Louisiana’s culture. In her book My Aunt Came Back from Louisiane, Downing adapts a traditional tune and takes young readers on a rhyming tour of Louisiana’s traditions throughout the state, with stops in Lafayette, Mamou and Evangeline. My Aunt Came Back from Louisiane retails for $15.95 and is available locally at Barnes & Noble. For more info, visit http://www.johnettedowning.com/. ­— R. Reese Fuller

Thanks Reese! You know books!!!