Cannonball Read 14

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Rambling around the internet; helping niblings maneuver through college, learn their ABC's and deal with middle school (usually all on the same day); reading to remain alive.

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Quick Pandemic Lit Rec for Littles

Maxine's Critters Get the Vaccine Jitters by Jan Zauzmer

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    Maxine’s Critters Get the Vaccine Jitters by Jan Zauzmer is a particularly timely story. Maxine lines up all her stuffed animals for their vaccinations, and then heads to her doctor for hers. The rhyme scheme is simple (with a few misses for me, but mostly solid), the illustrations by Corlette Douglas are noisy, creative and fun, and the pro-vaccine message is on point, especially as under-fives can finally get in line too. Understanding that it’s necessary, but also a little scary is something […]

“Mingle! Guide! Delight!” isn’t a bad philosophy

Leave it to Plum by Matt Phelan

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Leave it to Plumby Matt Phelan is the story of a “peppy purple peacock” & his trials & tribulations at the Athensville Zoo. Plum is a legacy – the however many times great grandson of the original zoo peacocks, given free wandering rights at the zoo, who are responsible for mingling, guiding & delighting the zoo’s visitors. Plum’s a great bird, if a little flighty (in the always late & a little scatterbrained way, not the bird way), who friends everywhere, and takes his duties […]

Good job, Past Me

Hideaway by Nora Roberts

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Nora Roberts is one of my go-to authors – if I’m looking for a book that is just dependable for an entertaining read, I know she’s not going to let me down. She used to be a ‘read immediately upon publication’ author, but I find that if I save her new-to-me-books for days when I just can’t get into anything, or when I’m on day three of a migraine (the day that’s more like a migraine hangover for me, where I can kind of focus, […]

“Dear Sir, May I humbly suggest being less of an idiot and doing whatever it takes…”

The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian

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This review contains spoilers for The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes & The Queer Principles of Kit Webb (indirectly): Perfect Crimes releases June 7th, so if all you want is a reminder/nudge to go buy the book, consider this your full-steam ahead, yes-please-buy-this-book-immediately, recommendation.  Go read it, & then come back here to talk with me about it, please!  This review is 90% amazing quotes, and – as such – will give away/hint at major plot points. If you want your journey to the HEA unspoiled, stop now.  […]

Nostalgic Earworms Ahead!

Skinnamarink by Sharon, Lois & Bram w/Randi Hampson; Ill by Qin Leng

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My memories of childhood are exceptionally vivid: I probably can’t tell you if I ate breakfast or not, but if you want to know who I sat next to in third grade, or every phone number of anybody I was friends with before I went to college, I got you. I only mention this because Sharon, Lois, & Bram feature heavily in my memories from about age 5 till about 10, and they made such an impact that some things, like the beloved-in-our-house “Skimmarink” song, […]

Socio-Emotional Skills FTW

Garrett Bear: Learning From Failure by K Tang

Ava's Triumph by Mary E Miller & Linda Woo

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I’ve talked before about the kind of work picture books do – Kids learn everything from the alphabet to the existence of other galaxies from the books we read to them as young children. They’re essential tools for helping kids to have names for, & understanding of, everything inside & outside of their own experiences.  But one of the greatest tasks reading with young children undertakes is helping them build their social & emotional vocabulary. We can use picture books to explain all of intangible […]



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