Cajun Home

May 1, 1998
Gr 3-6-Adding another title to his excellent series of photo-essays about distinctive American cultures, Bial uses his lens to illuminate the Louisiana Cajun lifestyle. Through stunning full-color pictures of little things-a boat, a chair, a washboard-he meticulously builds a portrait of a fascinating people. The readable text is as illuminating as the photos, starting with an informative but concise discussion of their history and migration from the northern coastal regions of France to the bayous of Louisiana where they now reside. In spare prose, Bial offers essential facts and also covers a broad spectrum of the Cajuns' daily life, past and present, including their food (with a recipe for jambalaya), their music, and their own particular brand of Mardi Gras. The book provides an excellent look at this unique culture and is by far the most informative and accurate children's title on this subject. A short, useful list for further reading contains both fiction and nonfiction. All together, a quality production.-Judith Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA

March 15, 1998
Gr. 4^-7. The title and photo of a wooden house on the jacket notwithstanding, this book is about more than just houses. It is a history of the Cajun people and their long struggle to find a home, in the larger sense of the word. Bial begins on the northern coast of France, where the small farmers and artisans who lived there found Parisian authority restrictive. In 1623, a group decided to seek freedom in the New World, eventually settling in Canada. Wars between France and Britain eventually forced them to Louisiana, and later more persecution pushed them into the backwoods of the Louisiana swamps. Once the Cajun people found a place for their community, however, they maintained a distinctive culture whose influence reaches far beyond its region. As he has done in previous photo-essays, Bial combines an interesting, well-written text with simple yet compelling color photographs that give insight into a community about which only its more flamboyant elements (such as its music and cooking) are known. Bial incorporates many Cajun words (with pronunciations) within the body of the text. This may slow readers down a little, but it adds to the book's Cajun flavor. Bibliography appended. ((Reviewed March 15, 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)