Press Copy of My Parrain is the Loup Garou is in!

I received the press copy of my new book My Parrian Is the Loup Garou, and it looks so good! Heather Stanley’s bold illustrations really set the swampy mood for this original Cajun tall tale about a boy and his Godfather as they go on wild adventures together, perhaps too good to be true. Books should be in by mid-September, and will be available in time for my book signings for the book launch as follows:

Saturday, October 7, 2023

• 11:00 AM 12:30 PM

• Blue Cypress Books, 8123 Oak Street, New Orleans, LA, 70118

Saturday, October 14, 2023

11:00 AM 12:30 PM

• Garden District Books, 2727 Prytania Street, New Orleans, LA, 70130

Saturday, October 28, 2023

• Time TBA

• Louisiana Book Festival, State Library of Louisiana, 701 North 4th Street, Baton Rouge, LA, 70802

You can also pre-order copies on my website , through Amazon, or through the two bookstores listed above.

I hope to see you there!

Summer Reading Program 2023 Schedule!

It's Summer Reading Program time, and I will be singing and dancing across Louisiana and Massachusetts. Here is my schedule, and I hope to see you there!

Twenty Bees Video Release!

Twenty Bees by Johnette Downing

During the pandemic, I created nearly a dozen animated music videos of my songs for virtual programs. I used some of them in my virtual programs, but some have never been released. Therefore, I have decided to release them once per month. The first one I released in May was “On the Farm” from my Parents’ Choice Recommended Award winning Wild and Woolly Wiggle Songs album.

This month, I am releasing “Twenty Bees” from my Silver Parents’ Choice Award winning album Boogie Woogie Bugs. I hope you enjoy this counting backwards by 1s, 2s, 4s, 5s, and 10s song. I learned from my friend Patsy Kanter, who developed the Everyday Counts curriculum, that children have difficulty counting backwards. Therefore, I decided to continue my trajectory of counting songs, but this song counts back from twenty, a higher number, not normally used in children’s music.

I illustrated the video with cut-paper collage to create depth, and my husband Scott Billington animated the video. It took dozens of frames to create the bee flying across the page at the end. Also at the end of the video, I include bee fun facts from the Bee Conservancy for educational purposes to help children help bees! I hope you have fun buzzing along!

Follow me on YouTube to get my latest releases!

Jumpin' Jitters is a 2023 Family Choice Award Winner!!!

I just found out that my Jumpin’ Jitters, It’s Halloween album for children is a 2023 Family Choice Award winner! Thank you Family Choice Awards for this amazing honor! Here is the press release!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2023 FAMILY CHOICE AWARD WINNERS

Exceptional products that enrich a family’s lifestyle and create

memorable experiences.

Los Angeles, CA – Family Magazine Group is proud to announce the 28th annual Family Choice

Award Winners! As one the most coveted and family-friendly consumer award programs in the

nation; the Family Choice Awards recognize the finest products and services that enrich the

lifestyles of children and families.

Congratulations!

“Jumpin’ Jitters, It’s Halloween"

is a Winner of a 2023 Family Choice Award!

Here is the link to the winning product:

https://www.familychoiceawards.com/family-choice-awards-winners/jumpin-jitters-its-halloween/

The creativity and extraordinary imagination utilized to develop new products and enhance

existing products for the benefit of consumers, continues to amaze our distinguished judges and

staff. We want to express our gratitude to all the entrants for their sincere commitment in making

a positive impact on families.

The 2023 Family Choice Awards are presented in the following categories: Apparel, Accessories,

Adaptive Products, Apps, Audio Books, Babies and Parenting Products, Bikes and Scooters,

Books, CD’s, Children’s Products, Developmental/Sensory Products, DVD’s, Electronics, Family

Products, Furniture, House-wares and Home Décor, Jewelry, Movies, Music, New Technology,

Speech and Mobility Aids, Toys and Games, Video Games, Pet Products and Websites.

For complete information on each winner please visit www.FamilyChoiceAwards.com.

My Parrain is the Loup Garou Book Cover Reveal!

South Louisiana folktales are as unique as they are colorful and Johnette Downing, with expressive illustrations by Heather Stanley, crafts a tale of the loup garou in a delightful way that children of all ages will enjoy. 

-Cheré Dastugue Coen, Food & travel writer, and author of Exploring Cajun Country

I have a new book coming out this fall with illustrator Heather Stanley through Pelican Publishing, and as promised, I am revealing the cover to you, my subscribers, first! Heather and I have two other books together (Petit Pierre and the Floating Marsh and Mademoiselle Grands Doigts), and in this book, she really captured the boldness and wildness of my Cajun tall tale My Parrain is the Loup Garou.

This familial love story between a child and his godfather is my original Cajun tall tale, and it is peppered with exaggerated colloquial vernacular to create humor and warmth especially when read aloud. Like children on the playground, the child boasts to the reader about his Parrain’s superhuman strength and wolf-like qualities as proof that the godfather is in fact the legendary mythical creature, the Loup Garou. As playmates, the child and the Parrain set out on magical adventures, perhaps too good to be true. The vivid colors and bold brush strokes in Heather Stanley’s illustrations set a swampy tone and blur the lines between fact and fantasy. This lighthearted twist to the often dark oral traditions of the Cajun werewolf are sure to make children laugh, and hopefully wildly dream. 

The book will be released in fall 2023, and there are already two events scheduled:

Saturday, October 7 at 11:00-1:00, Blue Cypress Books, 8123 Oak St, New Orleans, LA

Saturday, October 28, Time TBA, Louisiana Book Festival, State Library of Louisiana, downtown Baton Rouge, LA

Pre-order your copy today for a fall 2023 delivery at

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Johnette Downing

Or contact retailers@arcadiapublishing.com

On the Farm Video Released!

On the Farm by Johnette Downing

During the pandemic, I spent some time illustrating some of my songs to create animated music videos. I will be releasing these videos over the next several months.

I hope youngsters will enjoy singing along with "On The Farm," a sequential song about animals on a farm. Based on one of my songs by the same title on my Parents' Choice Recommended Award winning "Wild and Woolly Wiggle Songs" album for children, this animated music video includes animal sound effects, and is illustrated in cut-paper collage, a technique used to create textures by layering and gluing paper atop paper to create shapes, animals, buildings, etc.

___________________

Johnette Downing is a musician, author, illustrator, former early childhood music teacher and poet from New Orleans, Louisiana. The Louisiana Writer Award recipient, Johnette has received dozens of awards and has performed music for children on five continents for over 35 years.

Words, Music, Illustrations, Arrangement, Performance, and Animation by Johnette Downing.

All rights reserved

@2000 & 2020 Johnette Downing, Wiggle Worm Records, ASCAP Administered by Concord Music. Underlying song distributed digitally by CDBaby.

For more information, please visit www.johnettedowning.com.

Feeling the Festival Vibe! Newsletter

What, when, and where? I hope to see you there!

Pack up the kiddos and boogie on over to the Kids Tent at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Sunday, April 30, 2023 between 2:15-3:00 for some Louisiana tunes for children!

Joining me again this year is three-time Grammy winner (and hubby) Scott Billington! There will be plenty of fan favorites and new songs in this toe-tapping, two-stepping féte for the whole family. 

For Tickets

I mentioned in my last newsletter that I have a new book coming out this fall with illustrator Heather Stanley through Pelican Publishing, and as promised, I am revealing the cover to you, my subscribers, first! Heather and I have two other books together (Petit Pierre and the Floating Marsh and Mademoiselle Grands Doigts), and in this book, she really captured the boldness and wildness of my Cajun tall tale My Parrain is the Loup Garou.

CDs Have Arrived!

The physical CDs for my Jumpin' Jitters, It's Halloween album, of slightly spooky, mostly silly holiday songs for children, have finally arrived! 

"Johnette Downing is a New Orleans treasure, and Jumping Jitters shows why she is so beloved - a super fun, spooky fais-do-do that kids and adults will enjoy! And if you're anything like me, you'll want to listen to it year-round!"
    —DJ LizE, The Kid's Show, WTUL New Orleans 91.5fm

         Order Yours Today!

Upcoming events

April 30 at 2:15-3:00, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Kids Tent, New Orleans Fairgrounds

May 4 at 11:00-11:45, New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, 916 N. Peters, French Market

May 22-26, Arts Learning for Massachusetts, School Concert Tour 

June 1 at 11:00-11:45, New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, 916 N. Peters, French Market

June 3 at 2:00-4:00, Book signing, Barnes & Noble Metairie, Veterans Blvd., Metairie, LA

June 6-8, at 10:00 and 2:00, Livingston Parish Libraries, LA

June 16 at 10:00 and 2:00, LaSalle Parish Libraries, LA

June 21 at 10:00 and 2:00, St. James Parish Libraries, LA

July 6 at 11:00-11:45, New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, 916 N. Peters, French Market

July 7-8 at 10:00 and 2:00, Ascension Parish Libraries, LA

July 12 at 6:30-7:15 PM, Hamilton-Wenham Library, Hamilton, MA

August 4 at 9:45-10:30, Nantucket Atheneum, Garden, Nantucket, MA
 

I was grocery shopping yesterday when a young man came up to me and asked if I was Johnette Downing. His mother, Ms. Fontenot, was a client who hired me for decades to perform for her summer camp in New Orleans. The young man said he remembered being in the audience of my concerts when he was a young camper there. He then told me that I had just performed at HIS son's school. Ms. Fontenot, her son, and her grandson may have no idea how much it means to me to know that I was part of three generations of their lovely family in some small way. 

Thank you all for allowing me to experience this one precious life with you and your families. - Johnette 

Down in Louisiana Released in Paperback!

At long last, one of my best selling books is back in print in a new paperback edition! This author/illustrator owned edition features a new educational component that adds yet another layer to this beloved singable counting book about Louisiana animals and their habitats.

Buy the Book!   Buy the Song!  Buy on Amazon!