Harry the Snakebird

By Wendy Carbo

When photographer and 2022 inRegister Women with a Cause honoree Marie Constantin rescued a litter-bound bird at Capitol Lake, she couldn’t have known that the experience would lead to a children’s book. In Wendy Carbo’s story, illustrated by Louisiana artist Paula Merritt Windham, a pair of kids named Marie and Brian—inspired by photographer Brian J. Boudreaux, who was on the scene that day with Constantin—free a bird from a band binding its beak, with a message to young readers about protecting wildlife from litter. Proceeds from book sales benefit environmental organizations including the Louisiana Stormwater Coalition.

Editor’s note: This description originally contained the incorrect last name for photographer Brian J. Boudreaux. inRegister regrets the error.

Alycat and the Cattywampus Wednesday

By Alysson Foti Bourque

The fifth book in Lafayette author Alysson Foti Bourque’s Alycat series sees the feisty feline clawing her way through a day when everything turns upside down. Former attorney Bourque’s story is aimed at teaching kids problem-solving skills by combining whimsical characters with real-world situations.

Nowhere Better than Here

By Sarah Guillory

Brusly High School English teacher Sarah Guillory is making a splash beyond the Bayou State with her debut middle grade novel about a spirited 13-year-old girl whose hometown is devastated by a flood. “Boutin is a fictional town, but the circumstances surrounding this story are very much real,” Guillory writes in the author’s note. “I believe small acts can lead to great change.”

Hang the Banner

By Kolby Tullier and Joey Diovisalvi

Baton Rouge native and sports performance coach Kolby “K-Wayne” Tullier teams up with the founder of Florida’s Joey D Golf to share a training program aimed at helping golfers of all levels turn weaknesses into strengths. The book shares exercises aimed at improving balance and movement in a golf-focused way. “The golf swing remains one of the most complicated movements in all of sports,” the authors write. “…If your goal is to swing the club better, the fastest and most effective way to do that is to optimize the body that swings that club.”

Turkey and the Wolf

By Mason Hereford

“Turkey and the Wolf is an enthusiastically casual spot,” writes Mason Hereford of his New Orleans restaurant. “The food comes on vintage Disney, Power Rangers and Ronald McDonald plates we found on eBay. People sit on chairs and at tables my mom found at yard sales.” But the surroundings are far from the most unique elements at this sandwich-heavy eatery, known for turning lowbrow ingredients like bologna and Doritos into memorable culinary creations. This is no pretentious cookbook—the lineup of recipes includes peanut butter-bacon burgers, hog’s head cheese tacos, and “Gas Station Bean Dip,” all of which “max out flavor and fun.”

Cure

By Neal Bodenheimer

Pair your irreverent Turkey and the Wolf dishes with sips straight out of dozens of Crescent City cocktail bars with help from this beverage recipe book from the owner of Cure, Cane & Table, Vals and Peychaud’s. 

The Big Book of King Cake

By Matt Haines

Just dessert? No way—a king cake is just as much a sweet emblem of Louisiana culture. Matt Haines shamelessly writes of eating more than 80 king cakes in a single Carnival season, and all that colored sugar seeped into his veins so thoroughly that he took on the challenge of capturing everything about the confectionary creation in print. 

Bayou Book Thief

By Ellen Byron

Craving a “cozy mystery” with a culinary flair? Bestselling author Ellen Byron’s latest book in the Vintage Cookbook Mystery series sends its heroine down from one L.A. to another to start a new life in the Big Easy—but when a body turns up in a box of donated cookbooks, she finds herself in a stewpot of suspense.

Louisiana Herb Journal

By Corinne Martin

Look to the land, says certified clinical herbalist and amateur naturalist Corinne Martin in this book that’s equal parts practical guide to healing plants and love letter to the Louisiana environment.