| BASIC INFO | LANGUAGE LEVEL | COMPREHENSION-AIDING FEATURES |
|---|---|---|
| Book Title Au pays du Rougarou (In The Land of Werewolves) Author(s) A. Briotet Illustrator(s) Other Contributors Published by Self Published Genre Folktales and Legends, Historical Fiction, Mystery and Adventures Publication date 2019 #Ownvoices N/A | From the author/publisher’s website Level 2 Total Word Count N/A | Illustrations NO Glossary YES Guiding Questions NO Context YES Other N/A |
| IDENTITIES PRESENT IN THE TEXT | SYNOPSIS | |
|---|---|---|
| Races, Ethnicities, and Nationalities French American Languages spoken French Sex and Genders Female Male – main character Ages Teenage Adult Social classes Middle Class Upper Class | Sexual Orientation Heterosexual Abilities Neurotypical Non-disabled Religions Catholic Family Structures Heteroparental Body Type N/A | From the author/publisher’s website This French 2+ novel, written in the past tense, is a story of legend, adventure, and love. When Jean-Christophe leaves his native France to study a year in Louisiana, he has no idea that he will be learning more than the American language and culture. He will learn the hard way that some legends are true, that love is complicated, and that sometimes your worst fear will continue to haunt you for a long time. When you open this book, you will step into the Bayou and discover the adventure that awaits… |
| ILLUSTRATIONS | STORY | SOCIAL JUSTICE |
|---|---|---|
| To what extent do the illustrations present positive and thoughtful representations of identities? This book does not have any illustrations. The book cover depicts a dark landscape in the middle of a forest while a dark animal with yellow menacing eyes is staring ahead. | We understand identities are complex and no single story represents the spectrum of identity-based experiences. Also, a text may address a stereotype, misrepresentation, or generalization without relying on it. Does any stereotype, misrepresentation, or generalization affect any positive and thoughtful representations of identities in the text? 1. Female characters are not in a variety of roles. 2. This book gives informational snippets about New-Orleans but fails to mention the Creole and Black Creole cultures which are central to the identities of this multicultural city. | This section is for teachers who are working towards sourcing more texts within the four domains of anti-bias education. We are excited about reading all books and we understand that not all books are written for this specific purpose. Does this text work toward goals within any of the four domains of anti-bias education as defined by Learning for Justice? NO |
| LLLAB’s REVIEW |
|---|
| Au Pays du Rougarou is a story in which the protagonist, Jean-Christophe, leaves his home in France to study for a year in New Orleans, Louisiana. He ultimately learns a lot about himself, that love is not as easy to navigate as it may seem, and that there may be more to the legend of werewolves than he originally thought. The author described the novel as being suited for level 2 and above, and this seemed an appropriate designation given the language used in the book. It is helpful to note that the more difficult vocabulary that was introduced was translated at the bottom of each page, which will help students to continue following the story. While the story is about Jean-Christophe and him navigating his difficult love life while discovering that werewolves really do exist, the author also provides the reader with a lot of informational nuggets about New Orleans and its rich history, for example the Cajun people, the Acadians, and Mardis Gras with its festivals and floats (p. 12-16). However, nothing is said about the rich influence and presence of the Creole and Black Creole cultures in New-Orleans which erases the racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of this city. Something to take note of is that Jean-Christophe is depicted as a player-type of teenage male that says whatever he needs to in order to get out the awkward situations that he gets himself into when it comes to the opposite sex. One example being that while he starts seeing Julie, he meets another girl named Sophie (who already was seeing another boy) and decides to pursue her at the same time (p. 30). The teenage female characters that he interacts with for the most part fall for the lies/stories that he makes up when he gets caught with the others. These two female characters seem to lack agency and seem to exist so that they may be manipulated by the main character. |
LLLAB 