Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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When fear makes you small, friendship makes you tall

Shrinking Violet by Laurel Snyder and LeUyen Pham

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The book, Shrinking Violet by Laurel Snyder and illustrated by LeUyen Pham is a fun and sweet story dealing with the common themes of fear and bravery. We also have friendship and how that ties into overcoming the fear to be brave. While the themes are not new, the presentation gives things a fresh and clever take. The colors and details are rich, but not “too much” and allow focus on the story. The only real issue I had (since I read this due late […]

Cozy read for you, brave adventure for our hero

Gustav Is Missing!: A Tale of Friendship and Bravery by Andrea Zuill

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Gustav Is Missing!: A Tale of Friendship and Bravery is not necessarily the best book I have read, or the funniest, or even the most unique of messages; but it is all those things and more. Andrea Zuill created a picture book about a small mushroom, Little Cap, and his pet slug, Gustav, that was funny (when Gustav is unfortunately surprised, he falls spread eagle on the ground; there is an adorable pouty mushroom towards the end; when Little Cap thinks Gustav might be attacked […]

Rot, Snot and Squirm

Rot, the Bravest in the World! by Ben Clanton

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I am not a fan of rot. You know, that decaying, moldy and yucky stuff. However, Rot, the Bravest in the World!  is not about the kind of rot that is “eeeewww gross!” but about a potato called Rot. And while I have not always been friends with author and illustrator Ben Clanton books (Rot, the Cutest in the World! and Narwhal and Jelly series to name a few), I did enjoy this latest adventure. There is humor in Clanton’s books that is not for […]

Sundown is near, but the Passover plate is not here!

Pippa’s Passover Plate by Vivian Kirkfield

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If you are looking for a book that will teach you about the celebration of Passover, Pippa’s Passover Plate by Vivian Kirkfield is not it. This is more for the young child who celebrates the holiday already and therefore familiar with the practices, symbolism and meanings behind things such as the Seder plate. There are some pieces of information about the celebration (the plate needs to be found before sundown and at the end what goes on the plate) but without explanations to why they […]

Tiny bubbles Make me happy

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Bubbles. Who does not like bubbles? Kangaroo sure does! And in this cute (but has been done before) story, Kit Chase shows us how much Kangaroo loves blowing Bubbles. In fact, when she finds some new ones floating by, she follows them and finds Koala. Who is blowing bubbles, too, but does not see very friendly. In fact, is down right shy. Soon, he starts to play with Kangaroo (although while he’s still in the tree). Yet, when Kangaroo needs help from the big bubble […]

Lorraine’s Lesson

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When I saw the title, Lorraine: The Girl Who Sang the Storm Away, I assume it was going to be a fictionalized story of a famous singer. But it turns out to be a fun story about a grandfather, granddaughter and overcoming fear with the song in your heart.   The fact that the characters are black and in a non-traditional family setting is never brought to the forefront of the story. It is just “there” which makes this a nice book for anyone. Ketch […]



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