Houma author Jonathan Foret wins National Award for Peace Corps-Inspired Children’s Book

Congratulations to Houma’s own Jonathan Foret, who recently won the award for Best Children’s Book about a Peace Corps Country for his published work, The Fly That Flew Off The Handle. 

Jonathan, who is also the Executive Director of the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center, published his children’s book in the spring of 2023 with Cut Off-based illustrator Alexis Braud. “The story is about a little fly named Lester who feels angry a lot, but doesn’t quite know why or what to do about it,” explained Jonathan. “After a long journey of trying and failing to feel better, Lester meets a little butterfly Seymour who helps him figure out what’s wrong by asking him two simple questions: “What makes you angry?” and “what makes you happy?” Maybe the little fly Lester was just landing on the wrong surfaces this whole time!”

The Fly That Flew Off The Handle was inspired by Jonathan’s time in the Peace Corps, where he served in the Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific from 2004-2006.

“When I was serving in Tonga, there were lots and lots of flies where I lived and they made me very upset,” laughed Jonathan. “So the idea for the book was born. This has been in the works for years— I kept imagining an angry fly as a character who was trying to be happy.”

The Fly That Flew Off The Handle was recently given the 2024 Award for Best Children’s Book about a Peace Corps Country, a prestigious honor from the Peace Corps Writers.

“I wasn’t even aware I was being considered for this award, so it was definitely a surprise and an honor,” said Jonathan. “My experience in the Peace Corps means so much to me and it is really nice to be honored this way. I couldn’t have brought this book to life without Alexis, and this is truly an award for both of us.”

The Fly That Flew Off The Handle is available for purchase here. To see the full list of winners, please click here. Congratulations to Jonathan for this exceptional honor!