In this narrative poem told in Cajun dialect, Pierre the alligator is left behind in the bayou after helping Santa pull his skiff on Christmas Eve.
In Cajun country, the night after Christmas is just as special as the night before. "'Twas de night after Christmas an' poor ole Boudreau / His wife she done spent mo' money den he know." This is only the beginning of poor ole Boudreau's woes. His children are noisily playing with their new Christmas toys, his head hurts, and he needs to get away. As he drifts down the bayou in the moonlight, Boudreau discovers a fat alligator named Pierre, whom St. Nicholas seems to have left behind. Boudreau takes the good-humored alligator home to his family as a pet, and the children soon give Pierre their full attention. But Pierre has other ideas -- he is wondering whether he should make his escape when a cute girl alligator named Louise makes eyes at him, and after some wooing with good gumbo, the two decide to marry and raise a family. Old St. Nick doesn't have to worry that he'll never again see his gator friend, and in the end it's a very happy Cajun night after Christmas all through the year. After a Christmas filled with a number of children, a dog, grandparents, neighbors wandering around, piles of holiday treats, and all the chaos, joy, and laughter the holiday cna bring, sisters Jenny Jackson Moss and Amy Jackson Dixon were inspired to write this book. Each is a mother of three, and both are working visual artists. |
