Little Beloved Flower: French Creole Songs in the Shade of the Flamboyant Tree from Haïti and Reunion

12 traditional French Creole lullabies and nursery rhymes from Haiti and Réunion pay homage to community, family ties, work, love and life’s passages.

Imagine a daily island hubbub with warm breezes, salt water, music flowing through towns and and countryside. The melodies included celebrate history, language and culture with sounds of indigenous instruments alongside performances of women, men and children. Colorful illustrations of tropical animals, magical characters, people and places complete this title, giving fanciful transport to the listener.

Also included are educational notes on the origin and cultural context of each song. Lyrics are printed in the original French-Creole dialects and translated into English. The recordings available on all music streaming platforms can be accessed with a QR code printed in the book.

Chantal Grosléziat has devoted over three decades to researching how children are affected by music. As an educator and musician, her work includes the award-winning musical picturebook collection, ＂Comptines du monde＂ (＂Nursery Rhymes from Around the World＂), and the series, ＂Bébés chasseurs des sons＂ (＂Babies Are Sound Hunters＂). She resides in Paris, France. Laurent Corvaisier is a painter, illustrator and instructor at the École Nationals Supérieur des Arts Décoratifs in France. He has illustrated more than 100 children’s books which have been translated into several languages. He resides in Paris, France.