MARDI GRAS ALMOST DIDN'T COME THIS YEAR

Price drums up a toe-tapping, finger-snapping tale of resilience in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Lala, the young African American narrator, begins the story with a haunting memory of the hurricane’s wrath: “Wind threw Water into Sky, / snatched the Blue out. / Blue spluttered, then died” and “the levees cried.” Forced to leave their home, Lala’s family now lives in her aunt’s shotgun house, and everything has changed. Lala’s work-weary father hasn’t played his horn since the storm, and her Mamma—once the best dancer in New Orleans—is perpetually cross and forbids music-making. Worst of all, Mamma has decided they won’t be participating in the Mardi Gras festivities this year; but Lala is determined to celebrate the holiday in her own way. When her brother surprises everyone by playing a trumpet solo and Mamma finally smiles after Pop-Pop presents her with a Mardi Gras gift of flowers, it’s on! The family ventures out into streets filled with brass bands, revelers, and vendors, and they find a renewed sense of hope to help them face the future. Price’s lyrical text paints a rich picture of New Orleans and becomes downright musical as the story progresses. Williams’ stunning mixed-media illustrations incorporate colorful geometric abstraction, including concentric circles representing the sun, bursts of musical sound, and halos around the characters’ heads. Aside from one or two background figures, all characters are Black.

A moving story infused with the spirit of New Orleans that sounds a note of creative hope for the city’s future.