Armand.
I’m an Author of Picture Books and Chapter Books for Children.
My Latest Release!
About Down on the Bayou
The bayou’s calling out to me.
“Come back, my son,” it says. “Come see.”
What holds me back, I do not know,
But I promised, and so I’ll go.
While Troy is on vacation in Louisiana, his grandpa has promised to take him down to the bayou. Grandpa explains that the bayou is not only a shallow, slow-moving, muddy river—but also so much more.
When the time finally comes, Troy and Grandpa climb into Uncle Joe’s pirogue and set off on a unique adventure that stirs up Grandpa’s memories and Troy’s imagination. Grandpa shares stories about their enslaved ancestors who escaped to the bayou, the ghosts who rise from the moss, and a chorus of creatures that sing around them.
At the end of the day, Grandpa gives Troy a notebook so that he can write about everything the bayou has taught him, or even compose beautiful poems like Grandpa’s. Troy discovers that there is so much to learn about the legends, history, flora and fauna, and yourself, down on the bayou.”
Thousands of students across Texas voted, and the results are in! The 2025 Texas Bluebonnet Award winner is Ice Cream Man: How Augustus Jackson Made a Sweet Treat Better, written by Glenda Armand and Kim Freeman and illustrated by Keith Mallett.
In this buoyant and colorful book, readers are introduced to Augustus Jackson:
Augustus Jackson was born in 1808 in Philadelphia. While most African Americans were enslaved at that time, in Pennsylvania, slavery was against the law. But while Augustus and his family were free, they were poor, and they depended on their garden and their chickens for food. Augustus enjoyed helping his mom prepare meals for their family. When he was only twelve years old, he set off for Washington, D.C. He applied to work in the White House, where the head cook offered him a job as a kitchen helper. After five years of working hard, Augustus, or Gus, was promoted to cook.
During his time at the White House, Augustus became an expert at making a popular egg-based dessert. He soon made an eggless version—known to us today as ice cream—and left the White House determined to make and sell the frozen treat to everyone. Gus headed back home to Philadelphia and opened his very own ice cream parlor. He devised a way to keep the ice cream frozen so that it could be shipped and sold to other businesses. Gus’s dream had come true, and better yet, he had brought smiles to many faces.
Shining a light on a little-known visionary, this inspiring picture-book biography includes an afterword, a list of sources, and an easy-to-follow recipe so readers can make their own delicious ice cream!
View the Texas Bluebonnet award book trailer for Ice Cream Man here.
The Texas Bluebonnet Award is one of the oldest and most prestigious children’s choice literary awards in the country. A total of 36,000 students, all in third through sixth grade, voted. Each student had to read at least five books from the 2024-2025 Texas Bluebonnet Award list in order to vote.
AWARD WINNING BOOKS
New voices award winner
PICTURE BOOKS FOR PRE-SCHOOL & KINDERGARTEN
PICTURE BOOKS FOR 4 TO 9 YEAR OLDS
CHAPTER BOOKS FOR 8-12 YEAR OLDS
GLENDA ARMAND
Glenda Armand is an author of picture books and chapter books for children. She has taught grades pre-kindergarten through 8. She has also been a middle and high school librarian.
Her mission is to instill the joy of reading in children so that they can feel confident as they move through the world.
When she was a child, her favorite "toy" was The Random House Dictionary of the English Language.
Through her writing, she introduces children to exceptional but little known figures in American history.
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