For years, American school children have been tucked into bed to the tales of the Cat in the Hat, Winnie the Pooh and the Velveteen Rabbit. Those of us south of Alexandria had the pleasure of hearing about Clovis Crawfish and his bayou buddies.Originally published in 1962 by Pelican Press, “Clovis Crawfish and His Friends” by Mary Alice Fontenot told the story of the trials and tribulations of a crawfish living in southwestern Louisiana.

Born in Eunice in 1910, Fontenot served as a newspaper editor and kindergarten teacher before beginning her career as a children’s author. “Three hours a day with 30 five-year-olds is what led me into writing for children,” said Fontenot in an interview with Contemporary Authors Online. “The kindergarten teaching experience coincided with the start of a movement in south Louisiana to preserve the Acadian heritage and to restore the state to its former bilingual status.”

In 1968, the Louisiana Legislature passed Legislative Act No. 409, creating the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana, otherwise known as CODOFIL. According to their website, CODOFIL is empowered to “do any and all things necessary to accomplish the development, utilization, and preservation of the French language as found in Louisiana for the cultural, economic and touristic (sic) benefit of the state.”

As part of their lesson plans, teachers around the state began incorporating the Clovis Crawfish series as a way of introducing the French language to schoolchildren.

Fontenot’s stories not only exposed students to French but also opened their minds to the topics of diversity and racism.

In the book “Clovis Crawfish and the Curious Crapaud,” Clovis and his pals are confronted with a crapaud, or ‘toad-frog’ that can only speak five words, all of them French. While his comrades make fun of their new acquaintance, Clovis shows his friends all that is needed is a little patience and the willingness to lend a helping hand.

Pelican Press published a total of 18 Clovis Crawfish books by the time Mary Alice Fontenot passed away in 2003.