Not Sale Prices

When a hungry raccoon gets trapped in a spiderweb, Clovis urges his friends to abandon their fear of Raoul and help him out of a sticky situation.

Lizette Lizard seeks the help of her dear friend, Clovis Crawfish, as she searches for her twin sister. A surprising new development in the Clovis Crawfish Series occurs when Lizette Lizard seeks Clovis's help to find her twin sister, Lois, a previously unknown bayou resident. Friends of the bayou are enlisted in this tale of lost and found as some take to the skies while others search the water's edge to help their friend.

In this bayou adventure, Michelle Mantis, an ugly old critter, enters the bayou friends' territory. She is a ravenous praying mantis and is called the "cheval de diable" (devil's horse) in French. With her insatiable appetite, Michelle wants to consume everything in sight, including Clovis's friends! Clovis defends them, and the hungry insect settles for some ants, eating one after another. Her stomach full, she falls off a log onto the muddy bayou bank, but with mud on her wings, she cannot fly. Josette June Bug, Christophe Cricket, and the rest of Clovis's friends were fearful of Michelle, but now Clovis rallies them to free her and send her on her way.

Clovis helps a new addition to the bayou, Silvie Sulphur (a butterfly), find the perfect home. Helpful friends avert the disaster of a sudden storm, and everyone finds shelter.

Friendship is the underlying subject as the beauty and dangers of bayou life are depicted in this, the very first volume in the landmark series. A curious crawfish, Clovis always wants to know why and what things are. He wonders why his bayou is called 'Tail of the Frog,' when frogs don't even have tails. Bertile Butterfly couldn't care less-she's interested in only one thing-flowers.

Clovis Crawfish and company make a new friend in Paillasse Poule d'Eau. The bayou creatures enjoy learning all about their new friend. Two of the first things they find out is that his name, Paillasse, means "clown" in French, while Poule d'Eau means "water chicken."

Clovis must: save his friend, F'dora Field Mouse and her children; deal with Madame Rat Musque, who likes to eat crawfish; and build a new house for himself. And children complain when they have math and spelling homework on the same night!

It is late summer in Louisiana, and the bayou friends are sad because soon Bertile Butterfly will have to fly south for the winter. To wish Bertile bon voyage, Clovis decides to throw her a going-away party. All of the bayou critters will be there to say good-bye.

Clovis comes to the defense of the misunderstood skunk Batiste, when Batiste saves Ren' Rain Frog from the treacherous Sosthene Snake!