The Wild Girl of Catahoula by Yvette Landry

A Review by Rickey Pittman, A Bard of Acadiana

It was at the Cajun Dome, at the Jr. League Tinsel & Treasures Holiday shopping event, that I first met Yvette Landry. Arcadia/Pelican Publishing had sponsored both of us for a book signing, September 25-27, 2025. Also, it was there that I first discovered her fine juvenile-fiction, action/adventure book, The Wild Girl of Catahoula. I read it as soon as I returned to Monroe and knew I had to write a review of this fine story.

Though I knew of Catahoula Parish and Catahoula Lake in LaSalle and Rapides Parishes, I did not know of the small Catahoula community in St. Martin Parish, just outside of the Atchafalaya River Basin, the setting of the story, a perfect setting for the story of the wild girl, “a place where strange things happen where the black trees grow.”

Written in a first-person account, told by a twelve-year-old girl (presumably Yvette herself) as she listened to the wild girl’s haunting story as told by Pop, her grandfather. In addition to being a very good spooky story, the story gives several insights into the stories and culture of the Cajun folk who worked, lived near, and in the spooky Atchafalaya River Basin. Though it was years ago when Pop had first seen the wild girl, he is obviously still haunted by the experience and memory. The reader may also be haunted by the story. At the Cajun Dome, Yvette shared with me that this is a true story and that the wild girl had also been seen by others in at least two other locations in that part of Louisiana.

The Wild Girl of Catahoula is well illustrated by Cullen Bernard with ink and pen drawings that closely follow Landry’s excellent narrative. There is also a glossary of Cajun and Atchafalaya River Basin words that will provide excellent enrichment for young readers, or even for adults who may be new to Louisiana vocabulary. This storybook would be a great addition for a class or book club discussion, as it closes with a Reading Guide with fourteen thoughtful discussion questions. ‘

As an extensive reader and writer in the horror genre, I would recommend Landry’s story for anyone interested in spooky stories of Louisiana.

ABOUT YVETTE LANDRY: This beautiful, award-winning author is from Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, and is a noted performer who was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. You can learn more about her at her website: https://yvettelandry.com/about-yvette/

REVIEWER’S BIO: Rickey Pittman, the Bard of the South, is a storyteller, author, songwriter, and folksinger. He was the Grand Prize Winner of the 1998 Ernest Hemingway Short Story Competition and is originally from Dallas, Texas. Pittman presents his stories, music, and programs at schools, libraries, organizations, museums, historical reenactments, restaurants, banquets, and Celtic festivals throughout the South. Learn more about Pittman at: https://bardofthesouth.com