How do you best explain Mardi Gras to kids who have never experienced the fun and excitement of the season? Through books, of course.
Children in New Orleans grow up knowing what Mardi Gras is all about. For everyone else the costumes, parades, king cake, and beads may not make much sense. If you’d like to help the children in your life learn more about the Mardi Gras season one of these books may be just the answer.
Jenny Giraffe’s Mardi Gras Ride by Cecilia Casrill Dartez is the perfect book to help children ages 4 – 8 learn about the traditions of the Mardi Gras parades. Jenny is a Giraffe who is preparing for her first ride in a Mardi Gras parade. While preparing for the ride she learns all about the masks, costumes and parades.
Gaston Goes to Mardi Gras by James Rice is also written for 4 – 8 year olds. Gaston the alligator takes a trip through bayou country to visit New Orleans during Mardi Gras season. Along the way he encounters many of the celebrated traditions of Mardi Gras, including the parades of Zulu and Rex. Details and explanations of favorite New Orleans Mardi Gras traditions are explained in child-friendly language.
Mimi’s First Mardi Gras by Alice Couvillion is again written for the preschool and early grade school child. Kids have the chance to learn about many of Mardi Gras traditions along with Mimi as she celebrates her first New Orleans Mardi Gras. Readers will learn about yummy foods like beignets, king cakes and gumbo as well as other Mardi Gras traditions. Unlike the two previous books, this story is about a young girl rather than an animal.
Timothy Hubble and the King Cake Party by Anita Prieto is a nice break from stories that strive to cover the many aspects of a New Orleans Mardi Gras in one book. In this book, Timothy is new to New Orleans and is experiencing his first New Orleans Mardi Gras. When he is invited to a King Cake Party by his friend, Timothy is unsure of what to expect. This book does a great job of explaining the purple, gold, and green colors of the cake. It also explains the baby hidden in the king cake. A nice point of this book is that it explains not only the traditions of New Orleans Mardi Gras but also the sense of community that the holiday develops.
A Mardi Gras Dictionary by Beverly Vidrine is written for kids ages 9 – 12 although younger children will enjoy the pictures and even adults will have fun learning facts they may not have heard of before. Rather than teaching through a fictional story, this book takes the approach of defining the traditions of Mardi Gras. Don’t be fooled by the title, the illustrations included in this book make it much more fun than the average dictionary.
Mardi Gras is a fun and exciting time in New Orleans. Kids everywhere will have fun learning about the bright colors, fun costumes and different foods of the New Orleans Mardi Gras season from any of these books.
