Crawfish “Invades” Union Parish Schools.
By Winnie Baldwin
Featured in the Farmerville Gazette and the St Mary and Franklin Banner Newspapers
During the month of October Moby pincher, the largest most kindhearted crawfish in the south according to Dee Scallan, author of The Crawfish Tales series, invaded schools in union parish.
Moby is always doing what he can to make his friends, old and new as happy as can be. He also inspires children to be aware and get involved in environmental protection. The series of books includes Moby Pincher’s Wonderful Christmas Present, Moby Pincher’s Special Easter Party, and Moby Pincher’s Hurricane Adventure. All of which were illustrated by Daniel Myers, nine year old artist who lives in West Monroe , Louisiana .
Scallan grew up in central Louisiana near Alexandria, Louisiana has since lived in Baton Rouge, New Iberia and Lafayette and now resides in West Monroe .
She is on the Louisiana state artist roster and the list of performing artists for the Louisiana State Library. She performs presentations on the environment using The Crawfish Tales books as a base for providing audiences with music, interactive role playing, arts and crafts, and even an animated electronic display of Moby’s Crawfish Town .
The author has owned and operated a preschool for 25 years and is affectionately known as “Miss Dee” to her students. She created Moby Pincher for story time hour at her school and attempts to familiarize the children with the events, animals, insects, plants and other things native to Louisiana but relevant to young environmentalist throughout the country and the world. Children are entertained by Moby’s antics while learning about the environment and culture .
Daniel Meyers is the son of Ronny and Tammy Meyers, and they also live in West Monroe . He demonstrated an early aptitude for art, beginning his career at age three.
He is a former student of miss Dee’s Montessori Preschool, is now in the third grade at Claiborne Elementary School , and as active in soccer.
Union parish School Board Counselor / Union Arts Council Secretary, Elizabeth Pierce accompanied and introduced Miss Dee to the lively audience of K-fourth graders in Bernice who were eager to participate in Moby Pincher’s Hurricane Adventure, which the author said she wrote before the Katrina in Rita disasters.
Performances have been shown at Downsville, Marion Farmersville Elementary and Junior High and Spearsville. The programs are provided by a Decentralized Arts Fund grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts as distributed by the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council and presented by the Union Arts Council and Bernice Historical Society.