Books That Take You There: New Orleans

Tuesday is Mardi Gras, and nowhere celebrates Mardi Gras like New Orleans. Colored beads, king cakes, and parades fill the streets of the Big Easy for the city's vibrant celebrations of the holiday. These books will help take you to New Orleans for Mardi Gras this year!

Mardi Gras Almost Didn't Come This Year
By Kathy Z. Price
Illustrated by Carl Joe Williams
New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2022. Picture book.

In the months following the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, Lala and her family struggle to recover and cope with their losses. When Mardi Gras season comes around and their parents don't feel like celebrating, Lala decides to help make sure her younger brother Babyboy gets to have his Mardi Gras celebration. Together, the children help their parents find joy again despite their struggles.

Tiana's Cookbook

By Joy Howard

Los Angeles, CA: Disney Press, 2022. Informational. 143 pages.

This cookbook teaches young chefs how to make 50 recipes inspired by Tiana and her New Orleans roots. Step by step instructions and recipes of varying difficulty will help readers learn to cook at a young age, just like Tiana!

Spooky New Orleans

By Kathryn Camisa

New York: Bearport Publishing Company, 2019. Informational. 24 pages.

New Orleans is rumored to be one of the most haunted cities in the world, and this book explains some of the reasons for that. This collection covers four locations across New Orleans thought to be haunted and explains the origins of the ghost stories surrounding each site.

123s of New Orleans
By Nichól Brinkman

New Orleans, LA: Pelican Publishing, 2023. Informational.

This counting book covers numbers up to 15 while depicting iconic aspects of life in New Orleans.

Stalebread Charlie and the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band

By Michael James Mahin

Illustrated by Don Tate

Boston, MA: Clarion Books, 2018. Picture Book.

This picture book imagines the early of life of the real historical figure Stalebread Charlie and his band of homeless orphans struggling to survive on the streets of New Orleans in the 1890s. After hearing a trio playing one night, Stalebread convinces his friends that they can create music to earn money instead of having to steal their food. With instruments made from discarded objects like cans and an old comb, the innovative group helps develop spasm band music, which is today considered a precursor to jazz.

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