New Orleans children’s musician Johnette Downing will play at the Jazz National Historical Park (916 N. Peters St. in the Dutch Alley) this Friday, August 7th at 11 a.m. The acclaimed guitarist/vocalist has a popular residency there that takes place the first Friday of every month.

Downing is renowned worldwide for sharing her passion for Louisiana culture and roots music with kids. She sings in both English and French and her shows are always interactive. Everyone’s encouraged to get up, dance, and sing along!

She’s won eight Parent’s Choice Awards, four iParenting Media Awards, and countless other accolades, and her busy touring schedule has taken her all over the world to places as far-flung as the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Asia.

What’s more, Downing is also an author. Her 17 children’s books range from only-in-Louisiana topics like How to Dress a Po-Boy to more exotic settings, as in Amazon Alphabet. Each installment in her Today Is Monday in… series adapts traditional songs to describe the foods particular to a different US state. (You can guess which special Monday dish is highlighted in Today is Monday in Louisiana.)

Friday’s show will feature Downing classics like “Feliciana LeRoux” (about an intrepid young alligator-hunter named Feliciana) and newer numbers like “My Ox Cart” (which describes the Isleño farmers–descended from Canary Islanders–who would bring their wares to the French Market by ox cart.)

The show is free and open to the public. If you have young kids, this is the place to be!