EVANGELINE

Southern Louisiana is home to the largest French-speaking population in the u.s., outside of Maine. But of 200,000 french speakers in southern Louisiana, only eleven percent, or about 17,000, speak cajun french, and most are older adults. as a result, cajun french meets the criteria for language endangerment set forth by the united nation's educational, scientific and cultural organization (UNESCO). – NY times

a map with yellow markings of a US state

a black and white group photo of people holding up a flag

illustration of a young girl, her grandfather, grandmother, and a yellow chicken

children holding the Evangeline storybook with their both hands

an opened book with brown pages depicting a short two-word phrase and the other page an illustration of a young girl

an opened book depicting the bottom part of the face with nose and mouth on a yellow background, and the other page depicts two hands holding a piece of paper

a book opened with two pages depicting pieces of a map of the USA

illustration of a house and grandparents on a page, and the other page is a direction sign with four directions

an opened book depicting two hands putting on a bracelet on a kid's hand and on the other page, a family celebration near a table

an opened book with an illustration of two people on a bench under the starry night sky

a child pointing whit their finger to a flower point on a map

a kids bracelets with flowers and letters

glossary page of a book with french words and their pronunciation and translation

website screenshot with an illustration of a girl in the middle

white flowers, hats and pots pattern on a bright yellow background

By KATIE POSITERRY

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Evangeline is a Cajun French story for kids that celebrates Cajun culture in South Louisiana by embracing the language.

This story of an American culture is told by Evangeline, a five-year-old girl of Cajun descent who learns Cajun French from her grandfather. The book showcases language as a window into a culture and teaches Cajun French terms. Evangeline further encourages kids to take part in the traditions that keep our culture alive.