Cane River Christmas - by Denise McConduit (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

It's Christmas time in Louisiana! This year Elise and her mother are traveling from New Orleans to join her family in Natchitoches to celebrate the season in a very special way.

Along north Louisiana's Cane River, holiday traditions include parades--even a boat parade!--along the river and a Christmas festival with arts and crafts and carolers singing. The light-bedecked city of Natchitoches enchants Elise. Christmas lights blink from every lamppost and storefront. The twinkling colors are reflected in the river, and fireworks light up the sky. The sugary scent of funnel cakes and cotton candy saturates the evening breeze. But Elise's favorite holiday treat is the famous Natchitoches meat pie that Maw-Maw sells at her festival booth every year. Can you guess her secret ingredient?

Natchitoches, Louisiana's oldest city, has celebrated the Christmas season with a festival for a century. Today, the Natchitoches Christmas Festival lasts six weeks long and features hundreds of thousands of lights, days of entertainment for children and adults, and visits from Santa. And everyone's favorite festival food? The Natchitoches meat pie, of course! The official recipe for this yummy snack concludes the tale of Elise's family Christmas.

About the Author

Denise Walter McConduit lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, and she is passionate about preserving her state's rich cultural traditions. Her first books were inspired by the real-life experiences of her son: D.J. and the Debutante Ball, D.J. and the Zulu Parade, D.J. and the Jazz Fest. She is also the author of The Boy Who Wouldn't Read and Claudia in the Storm: A Hurricane Katrina Survival Story, a middle-grade novel about the turmoil children faced during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Denise is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and has an MFA in creative writing. For more information, visit www.denisemcconduit.com.

A professional pianist, teacher, and artist, Stacy Bearden earned his bachelor's degree in piano performance and education from McNeese State University. His music business, Bearden's Music, sells both original artwork and commissions of people, pets, and homes. Bearden also teaches music lessons to young children. The author and illustrator of Boudreaux the Louisiana Mosquiteaux, he uses music and storytelling to educate his readers about the people and animals of Louisiana. Bearden shares his life with his wife and two children in Sulphur, Louisiana.