Books with author J. J. Reneaux

Winner of Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award & Selected as Outstanding by the Parent CouncilNationally acclaimed storyteller J.J. Reneaux grew up Cajun for true, surrounded by the stories, music, food, and culture of rural communities in southeastern Texas and southern Louisiana. Cajun Folktales serves up a spicy gumbo of more than twenty traditional Cajun animal stories, fairy tales, ghost stories, and humorous tales. A traditional storyteller who collects by word-of-mouth, Reneaux has developed her repertoire over years of collecting―on front porches, school playgrounds, and her beloved fishing trips. She has refined her work in performances nationwide, including the National Storytelling Festival, where she has appeared numerous times. These stories of Cajun treasure and lost jewels will teach readers the importance of resourcefulness, courage and responsibility. Publishers Weekly wrote, "While the tales of African Americans and Native Americans have been much anthologized, the vibrant oral folk tradition of the Cajun has been more or less neglected by American publishers. This excellent anthology by Reneaux helps plug that inexplicable gap. Reneaux, a noted storyteller and a Cajun herself, retells 27 tales she heard in childhood from relatives or has heard since from fellow Cajuns. Their folklore is as spicy and interesting as their famed food and reflects a variety of flavors and influences."

In the Cajun country of Louisiana, Alligator is king of the swamps king to everyone that is, except sassy old Dog. Storyteller J.J. Reneaux's musical rendering of this old folktale explains how the feud between Alligator and Dog got started in the first place. When Alligator finally corners Dog in his swamphole, he falls for the oldest trick in the book. Next time, he promises, he'll get that Dog for sure. But will he?

Nationally acclaimed storyteller J.J. Reneaux includes animal stories, fairy tales, ghost stories, and humorous tales from her native Cajun culture. While children will giggle over the foolishness of Jean Sot, who jumps to the conclusion that the purpose of a new fence of telephone and electricity poles is to pen up giant cows, adults will recognize the all-too-human fear of anything new and different that lies at the heart of this tale. Among the 26 stories included here are such favorites as ....

The late J.J. Reneaux was known for her skillful telling of Cajun ghostlore from the swamps and bayous of Louisiana. In Haunted Bayou, she draws from this unique gumbo of superstition, ghost stories, and true life experience, weaving ten original short stories and three traditional tales on timeless themes: the struggle between truth and illusion, faith and temptation, good and evil.

In the Cajun country of Louisiana, Alligator is king of the swamps king to everyone that is, except sassy old Dog. Storyteller J.J. Reneaux's musical rendering of this old folktale explains how the feud between Alligator and Dog got started in the first place. When Alligator finally corners Dog in his swamphole, he falls for the oldest trick in the book. Next time, he promises, he'll get that Dog for sure. But will he?

"Wake, Snake!" is a delightful collection of children's stories and songs of the South, featuring 12 traditional tales and songs drawn from the diverse Southern heritage: Cajun, Creole, African-American, Scots-Irish, and Native American. Guitar, mandolin, fiddle, Cajun triangle, and spoon percussion provide down-home musical sound effects. 60-minute cassette.