The Cajun Cornbread Boy

By Dianne de Las Casas and Marita Gentry

The classic children’s folktale of the Gingerbread Boy gets a spicy Cajun twist—and comes with a delicious recipe for cornbread.

Down on the bayou in the heart of Cajun country lives a little old woman who is very lonely. One day, she decides to make a cornbread boy. Taking down her grandmère’s magical black iron skillet, she adds all the right ingredients, careful not to forget a big dash of cayenne pepper.

When the cornbread boy pops out of the oven, he blinks his chili-pepper eyes, sprouts arms and legs, and sprints out the door before the old woman can catch him. Through the swamp and past the creatures curiously sniffing after him, the cornbread boy runs until he meets an artful alligator who is in for one spicy surprise.

In this flavorful retelling of the classic Gingerbread Boy tale, international storyteller extraordinaire Dianne de Las Casas presents a delightful romp through Cajun country that will have readers of all ages hungry for more.

Praise for The Cajun Cornbread Boy

“An old tale sprouts legs and takes off, enlivened by a dash of Cajun flavor. Catch it if you can!” —Aaron Sheard, The Author of Lightning Larry

“Dianne de Las Casas mixes humor, high spirits, lively narration and a colorful setting to bring alive the timeless tale of the Gingerbread Boy.” —Robert D. San Souci, author of The Talking Eggs: A Folktale from the American South and Little Pierre: A Cajun Story from Louisiana

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Dec 15, 2008
• ISBN: 9781455601745

Book preview

Reviews for The Cajun Cornbread Boy

[analley-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Cajun Cornbread Boy had a similar background as the Ginger Breadboy. I thought the short story had great illustrations throughout the book. the cornbread boy was drawn in a iron skillet, and his face was made out sausage for his mouth, red peppers for the eyes, and two pieces of butter on each side of his face for his cheeks. I think that this book would great to use in a classroom, as a compare and contrast lesson.

[kmclark-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A cute Cajun take on the beloved Gingerbread Man story that has been passed down to us all for years. With great illustrations, both Cajun and French words, and Southern animals you'd find along the swamps, a spicy cornbread created out of cayenne runs around singing his own version of the gingerbread man song. As a special treat at the end of this book, there is a recipe for Southern Cornbread.

[derbygirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

(easy, folklore/fable, Louisiana) This story follows the traditional "Gingerbread Man' but with a twist at the end. Cajun Cornbread Boy is spicy, because he is Cajun, and therefore the alligator is unable to eat him up. He instead spits him out and Cajun Cornbread boy is able to continue on about his wanderings. At the end of the book, there is a recipe for cornbread that you can make spicy or not, and a glossary of Louisiana terms. It would be fun, with the appropriate adminstrative permission, to make the cornbread recipe in the back of the book.