Blue Heron Press

Blue Heron Press is a regional publishing house started in 1989. Located in Thibodaux, Louisiana, Blue Heron Press is dedicated to publishing materials on Louisiana history, culture and environment.

Here are a few of their titles from their list of children's literature:

Pitre, Verne.  1991.  Grandma was a Sailmaker: Tales of the Cajun Wetlands.
Every grandparent and parent who has hear even one child make the request, "Tell me about when you were little," will relate to the sometimes sad, sometimes funny essays in this book. ISBN 0-9621724-5-6.

Moore, Diane Marquart.  1995.  Martin's Quest.
In Martin's Quest, eleven-year-old martin Romero experiences a special dream, a Vision Quest, that tells him he has the power to be a traiteur, or healer.    Set along the Bayou Teche in south Louisiana, the story weaves Martin's school life, where he learns to be proud of his heritage, with a troubled home life.  ISBN 1-884725-14-7 (Hardcover)  1-884725-05-08 (Softcover).

Orgeron, Shannon.  2001.  Martin's Quest: An Integrated Teaching Unit.
An integrated teaching unit for English Language Arts teachers for use with the book Martin's Quest.

Fontenot, Mary Alice.  1996.  Tah-Tye: The Last 'Possum in the Pouch.
Tah-Tye, a shy baby opossum, is the last of a litter of opossums.  He learns that he can take care of himself while in search of a midnight snack.  ISBN 1-884725-10-4.

Cavalier, Elvis J.  1995.  T-Nonc: The Cajun Environmentalist.
T-Nonc is an environmentalist, in touch with his wetlands home and the animals who live there.  Readers of this gentle book learn of the impact humans have on swamp life and gain an appreciation of the role T-Nonc plays in protecting the environment.  ISBN 1-884725-04-X.

Cavalier, Elvis J.  1995.  T-Nonc's School Lessons on the Environment.
A companion book containing five of Cavlier's best teacher's plans.  ISBN 1-884725-07-4.

Folse, Pamela.  1995.  A Sweet Surprise.
Join Therese and Lovey as they take their friend from Mexico, Juan Diego, on an inside tour of a Louisiana sugarcane mill.  Along the way they learn how cane is harvested, weighed in and unloaded.  Young readers follow the process through the mill where the cane is chopped, crused and boiled.  The book contains many local Cajun French expressions and a few Spanish words as well.  ISBN 1-884725-11-2.

Sims, Kathy C.  2004.  Louisiana Potpourri: From A to Z.
This book is a bilingual book about many Louisiana symbols, places and culture.  Half the book is written in English.  When you flip over the book, you'll find the other half written in French. ISBN 0-9753435-0-5.

Folse, Pamela.  1994.  Bonfire Christmas: A Cajun Holiday Tradition.
More than a century old, the tradition of building bonfires on the Mississippi River levee continues in the St. James Parish area of south Louisiana.  In Bonfire Christmas, the tradition is seen through the eyes of Petey.  This book contains many local Cajun French expressions and includes an easy pronunciation guide.  ISBN 1-884725-03-1.

Looper, Robert B.  1993.  The Cheniere Caminada Story: A Commemorative.
A book about the terrible Hurricane of 1893, which was one of Louisiana's greatest natural disasters. The storm wiped out the thriving fishing village of Caminadaville.  This commemorative book is a collection of photographs and text culled from various historical sources.  ISBN 0-9621724-8-0.

For a copy of Blue Heron Press' free catalog,
write to P.O. Box 550, Thibodaux, LA  70302 or call 985/ 446-8201.