Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   

Though I’m not the audience for this, I think y’all need to read

Balloon by Bruce Handy and Julie Kwon

September 2, 2026 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Sorry Bruce Handy, but I am not digging the mostly wordless text to the story called Balloon. It is Julie Kwon’s illustrations that captured my attention and kept me moving along. However, I love the story that inspired your book. I really love that your son named his cat Balloon in honor of the lost balloon. And yes, the cat of your daughter has an equally cool name. I love unusual names for pets and I can only think of a few other names that […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fiction, Mystery Tagged With: balloons, Bruce Handy, Bruce Handy and Julie Kwon, colors, Concepts, disappointment, emotions, Feelings, imagination, Julie Kwon, pet adoption, Play, Social Themes

BlackRaven's CBR18 Review No:256 · Genres: Children's Books, Fiction, Mystery · Tags: balloons, Bruce Handy, Bruce Handy and Julie Kwon, colors, Concepts, disappointment, emotions, Feelings, imagination, Julie Kwon, pet adoption, Play, Social Themes ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

A couple of “new” books

A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst and Ray Cruz

February 27, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I noticed there was a reading challenge at my local library. I figured it was for kids so I didn’t pay attention to it. Yet, one day I looked at it and noticed one of the categories was “Love Triangle.” Now, I know kids are a lot more mature than I was, but I still don’t think a “Love Triangle” would be in a kids Reading Challenge Bingo. Then, after looking at the libraries website, I noticed that it did say for young adults and […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fiction Tagged With: colors, emotions, Feelings, Judith Viorst, Judith Viorst and Ray Cruz, Leo Lionni, Ray Cruz, Reptiles & Amphibians, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, Social Themes

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:118 · Genres: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fiction · Tags: colors, emotions, Feelings, Judith Viorst, Judith Viorst and Ray Cruz, Leo Lionni, Ray Cruz, Reptiles & Amphibians, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, Social Themes ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

See the colors

The Sky Is Not Blue by Joy Jones

August 29, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The use of color has been used before as a theme, but to show that there are colors that are in-between the stereotypical ones is fresh. The Sky Is Not Blue is a cute, simple story that allows us to see that not only are we using our imagination, we are using it in real-life situations. It shows the power of art, color and looking at things a little differently (even if that means sitting in the little chair and not the big teacher chair). […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fiction, Poetry Tagged With: art, colors, Concepts, Joy Jones, Sawyer Cloud, school, thought processing

BlackRaven's CBR16 Review No:418 · Genres: Children's Books, Fiction, Poetry · Tags: art, colors, Concepts, Joy Jones, Sawyer Cloud, school, thought processing ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Become booked

Gray by Laura Dockrill

Gwendolyn and the Light: A Picture Book by Susan Yoon

June 5, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Picture books are fun, but are hard books to write reviews about. There are usually only a few hundred words (at best) and the stories short enough that to give a description of things means you told the whole book. Recently I found two books that I enjoyed, but I am not saying, “OMG BEST BOOKS EVER” about. They are cozy, their audiences are people who like a softer toned, but strong read. Please read on to learn more about them…  The picture book Gray […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fantasy, Fiction, Health Tagged With: Audrey Helen Weber, colors, Concepts, Emotions & Feelings, family, friendship, Laura Dockrill, Lauren Child, Social Themes, Susan Yoon

BlackRaven's CBR16 Review No:263 · Genres: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fantasy, Fiction, Health · Tags: Audrey Helen Weber, colors, Concepts, Emotions & Feelings, family, friendship, Laura Dockrill, Lauren Child, Social Themes, Susan Yoon ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Bring Back My Color

The Gray City by Torben Kuhlmann

May 31, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

While it was hard to put down, the pacing of the not-so-picture book The Gray City is a bit slow. Each chapter is only a few pages long (and as read via an online reader copy I am not sure of the final format size) but the page is filled. And even when everything is gray there is still color, hinting at the revelation our heroine, Robin, learns at the end of things.  This story unfolds, as said, a bit slowly. Torben Kuhlmann wants you […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Health, Mystery, Poetry, Speculative Fiction Tagged With: colors, Concepts, David Henry Wilson, family, friendship, Science & Nature, Social Themes, Torben Kuhlmann

BlackRaven's CBR16 Review No:230 · Genres: Children's Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Health, Mystery, Poetry, Speculative Fiction · Tags: colors, Concepts, David Henry Wilson, family, friendship, Science & Nature, Social Themes, Torben Kuhlmann ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

A brown rainbow is beautiful

A Rainbow in Brown by Pavonis Giron

March 15, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I have decided to copy and paste what I have found as the publisher’s description of A Rainbow in Brown as it tells the story written by Pavonis Giron better than I can. Jo wants to paint all the wonderful things she loves. With a palette of red, yellow, and blue, Jo knows she can mix any colors together to create new ones. Her imagination takes flight as she explores painting with primary and by mixing her own secondary colors, each picture as beautiful as […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fiction, Poetry Tagged With: art, colors, Concepts, imagination, Pavonis Giron, Play, self-esteem, Social Themes

BlackRaven's CBR16 Review No:99 · Genres: Children's Books, Fiction, Poetry · Tags: art, colors, Concepts, imagination, Pavonis Giron, Play, self-esteem, Social Themes ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
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