I adored this book! Being from a Cajun heritage myself, this book was familiar and nostalgic in all the right ways. This book is a rhyming poem about the calm nature of a bayou at night before the sun rises. The language used to write this book was fairly accurate in it's use of some cajun slang and traditions. I often heard my grandma's thick cajun accent as the narrating voice for this book. The story also does a wonderful job of capturing what it feels like to be on a sleepy bayou filled with beautiful, resting life. The illustrations were lovely, and they fit the tone and mood of the poem/story very well. Overall, this book was very charming and enjoyable for me! ( )

The words in this story will make it a bit more difficult for someone to read. The story however is super cute. Students in Louisiana will be able to relate and enjoy this book because of the setting. I loved it! Very cute read. ( )

Since I am a Louisiana baby, a lullaby like this I could imagine my maw maw telling me as I went to sleep as a young child. If this was a study of Louisiana culture books, this one be a favorite of mine to put in that collection. I would keep this in my classroom library and definitely would use it when we studied poetry just to keep our Louisiana culture in every subject. I could see giving this a present to a new mom from myself as it is that much of a favorite of mine! ( )

"Bayou Lullaby" by Kathi Appelt was a Cajun story that was being told by a mother to her daughter when going to sleep. She refers to the nature around them that would be seen differently than people are aren't from there would see it. She even speaks some Cajun French because that is what people who are Cajun speak. This book was used for research for my children's book because it will have a Cajun setting. ( )

Charming. And I love that it's not about a farm animal, or pets, or bunnies of bears. I wasn't hugely charmed, but I don't know why - perhaps simply because I read it to myself and don't have a little one with whom to share it. 3.5 stars. ( )