Jolie Blonde and the Three Héberts: A Cajun Twist to an Old Tale

by Sheila Hebert Collins, Patrick Soper (Illustrator)

Children will enjoy discovering the uniquely Cajun spins on the classic story. For example, Cajuns simply do not eat porridge-whatever that may be. They do eat gumbo, and Mama Hebert just happens to make the best on the bayou. Simple gumbo recipe is included.

Genres: Adventure, Cultural, Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1999

Reviews

[Ashley Bartholomew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is probably age appropriate for second graders. The little girl knocked on the front door of a house but there was no answer, yet she could not help but smell that yummy gumbo. She ate their food and sat in their rocking chairs. The smallest chair broke. She then fell asleep in the smallest bed. The Hebert family got home and was upset at what they saw. Jolie Blonde woke up with their family looking at her with mad expressions on their faces. She ran out of their as fast as she could. In my classroom, I could use this book for a read aloud to allow children to hear books from different cultures. A helpful thing about this book is, for unfamiliar words or words in another language, the book says how to pronounce it and what the word means.

[Jessica Emra]

I like that this version incorporates some French words as well as some of the Cajun culture. It exposes kids to a different culture than they are used to and gives lot of new vocab words with their definitions for kids to try. There is also a recipe for gumbo in the back which is fun! I also liked how at the end the story finishes by saying that the Americans say this story all wrong because we think the Herberts pronounced AY-bair are really bears. I think this would be a good book for middle grade elementary school students. A good book to add to any classroom library for a more diverse storyline.

[Annalisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a fun twist on the classic fairytale of goldilocks and the 3 bears. This book followed the same story line as the original but it was a twist in Louisiana so it is with a family of 3 instead of 3 bears and the thing they're eating is gumbo instead of porridge. (Assignment #2) I would use this for primary grades as it's a fun take in the story most have heard. Though I would also use this in older grades to look at the differences between the classical and this one.

[Alana Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears set in Louisiana. It's still the traditional story, but it incorporates some Cajun language in the story. Each page includes a pronunciation key and definition for the relevant words when they are first interviewed. This could be used as a read-aloud in younger classes when fairytales are discussed. It is still the traditional story but would allow the students a peek into another culture.

[Morgan Castro]

This book is a twist on the traditional Goldilocks and the Three Bears story and is set in Louisiana. I learned many interesting things about the Cajun culture, including some of the French vocabulary that they use. I appreciate how the book includes pronunciations and even a recipe for gumbo at the end of the story. I would recommend this picture book for students in Kindergarten through 4th grade, especially if they are learning about other cultures even within the United States.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the Hebert's’ go out to the Bayou Jolie Blonde decided to got their house while she is taking a stroll around. Since she can’t help herself she tries some of their gumbo, eating all of Bebe’s, then she goes to rest outside and rocks so hard she breaks BeBe’s chair and since she was tired she decides to take a nap on BeBe’s bed. Jolie runs out of the house leaving the Heberts behind. The book ends with Jolie telling the story and explaining how people have gotten confused and now think that the Hebert's were actual bears. (Matrix)

I think it would be fun to do a similar activity to what we did where we look at one classic story from multiple cultural perspectives.

[Brandi Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows the plot of Goldie Locks and the three bears but with a Cajun twist. I though this book was cute and fun. My grandmother had this book on her shelf as we are Cajun Heberts. I am also the only blonde of my Hebert cousins so my grandma would say this book was for me. This book could be great to use in the classroom. Student could compare it to the original and discuss the Cajun culture depicted in the story. The story offers pronunciation guides which I thought was cute. No one ever pronounce Hebert correctly. I love twists on traditional stories and think this could be a great inspiration for older students to write their own versions of classic tales.

[Josie Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like that this version incorporates some French words as well as some of the Cajun culture. It exposes kids to a different culture than they are used to and gives lot of new vocab words with their definitions for kids to try. There is also a recipe for gumbo in the back which is fun! I also liked how at the end the story finishes by saying that the Americans say this story all wrong because we think the Herberts pronounced AY-bair are really bears.

I think this would be a good book for middle grade elementary school students. A good book to add to any classroom library for a more diverse storyline.

[Chris LeJeune · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-have for anyone with little ones. This is a great simplified introduction, for all ages, to the dialect and way of life so many Cajuns have grown up to.