Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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I hate not finishing a book, especially one with such a pretty cover

Fox and I by Catherine Raven

April 22, 2024 by KimMiE" 3 Comments

I’ve learned to be skeptical about stories of friendships between animals and people, as I find that they usually fall into one of two categories. Either they rip your heart out and grind it under the well-worn earth where the animal makes its home, or they turn out to be a feeble excuse for the author to engage in public therapy for their own underlying issues. There are exceptions, of course–Helen Macdonald’s lovely memoir H is for Hawk (review by ElCicco here) comes to mind. But Fox […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: Catherine Raven

KimMiE"'s CBR16 Review No:8 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: Catherine Raven ·
Rating:
· 3 Comments

A special cup of tea

The Amazing Leaf in the Cup: A Tale of Tea Retold in English and Chinese by Yiping Wei

April 22, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

It is probably a copout to just copy and paste the publisher’s description of The Amazing Leaf in the Cup: A Tale of Tea Retold in English and Chinese by Yiping Wei. However, I’ll summarize it “a man, named Ding Xian, has qualified for the imperial examinations. In his travels, he passes through Wuyi Mountain, where he meets a monk that helps him by giving him a drink that restores his energy. It is just hot water and leaves, but makes an impact on the […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, Cooking/Food, Fiction, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Religion Tagged With: Asian, Asian Heritage, Legends & Myths & Fables, Social Themes, Values & Virtues, Yiping Wei

BlackRaven's CBR16 Review No:179 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, Cooking/Food, Fiction, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Religion · Tags: Asian, Asian Heritage, Legends & Myths & Fables, Social Themes, Values & Virtues, Yiping Wei ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Friends, pets and understanding

Calvin and the Sugar Apples by Inês F. Oliveira

April 22, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Calvin and the Sugar Apples by Inês F. Oliveira and a few illustrations by Vanessa Balleza is a cute story about friendship and loss. There are a few illustrations that help highlight a few points of the story. The story is a hit or miss for most people (a few might be in between, like I was, but I don’t see a lot of middle ground). Our young heroine is a girl who might be on the autism scale, or is just a bit young/naïve […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Cooking/Food, Fiction, Health Tagged With: chinchillas, family, friendship, grief, Inês F. Oliveira, Pets, Social Themes, Vanessa Balleza

BlackRaven's CBR16 Review No:178 · Genres: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Cooking/Food, Fiction, Health · Tags: chinchillas, family, friendship, grief, Inês F. Oliveira, Pets, Social Themes, Vanessa Balleza ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

A great Shakespearean actor

Ira’s Shakespeare Dream by Glenda Armand

April 22, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Ira’s Shakespeare Dream by Glenda Armand and illustrated by Floyd Cooper was the right book at the right time. Had I read it any other time than recently in APril 2024, I don’t think it would have hit me the same. I had just read a book that had put all the well-known people in the theme, and I needed something that would give me the unknown. Read via an online reader copy and currently available, Armand takes a probably mostly unknown actor of color […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, Fiction, History, Non-Fiction Tagged With: actors, black actors, Floyd Cooper, Glenda Armand, Ira Aldridge, Othello, Performing Arts, racism & prejudice, Shakespeare, Social Themes

BlackRaven's CBR16 Review No:177 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, Fiction, History, Non-Fiction · Tags: actors, black actors, Floyd Cooper, Glenda Armand, Ira Aldridge, Othello, Performing Arts, racism & prejudice, Shakespeare, Social Themes ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Moms and Dads are rad

Some Moms by Fifi Abu

Some Dads by Fifi Abu

April 22, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I had a few minutes before bed the other night and had a need for a quick read, so I picked up two goofy, lovable picture books by Fifi Abu. Find an image of Abu, as they look everything like a Fifi, but nothing like what I expected (which is fantastic, as the author is half the fun of a book for me). And  if you found that image on the book, well, read the book(s)!  As well as the author burb. Spoiler: as a […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fiction, Health Tagged With: Diversity & Multicultural, families, fathers, Fifi Abu, mothers, parents

BlackRaven's CBR16 Review No:176 · Genres: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fiction, Health · Tags: Diversity & Multicultural, families, fathers, Fifi Abu, mothers, parents ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

A few Pride Month titles

Joyful Song : A Naming Story by Lesléa Newman

The Rainbow Parade: A Celebration of LGBTQIA+ Identities and Allies by Shane Jordan, Rick Hendrix and Jieting Chen

Rainbow Allies: The True Story of Kids Who Stood Against Hate by Nancy Churnin

April 22, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

My work emails are getting ready for June and Pride Month. One included a list of five picture book titles. One title I was unable to get the online reader link for, two titles I had read before (one of those I was okay, I don’t need to read again, but I had forgotten I had read the second) and they are remarkably different in how they are Prideful. (All read via an online reader and are due May 2024.)  The first I read was […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fiction, Health, Non-Fiction, Romance Tagged With: Activism & Social Justice, Allyship, glbtq, Jieting Chen, Lesbian couples, Leslea Newman, Massachusetts, Nancy Churnin, Rick Hendrix, Shane Jordan, Shane Jordan, Rick Hendrix and Jieting Chen, Social Themes, Susan Gal

BlackRaven's CBR16 Review No:173 · Genres: Children's Books, Fiction, Health, Non-Fiction, Romance · Tags: Activism & Social Justice, Allyship, glbtq, Jieting Chen, Lesbian couples, Leslea Newman, Massachusetts, Nancy Churnin, Rick Hendrix, Shane Jordan, Shane Jordan, Rick Hendrix and Jieting Chen, Social Themes, Susan Gal ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
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