Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Little box of crayons, a lot of hope

Simone by Viet Thanh Mguyen

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I was expecting Simone to be an immigration story or one about fitting in when you look different. I was surprised to learn that the book was about strength in the middle of a traumatic event. This makes Viet Thanh Nguyen’s book relatable on several levels. Anyone can have a tragic event occur. Now, ours might not be a forest fire, but we could have had a flood, a loss of a home, or a death in the family. Simone (the character) is a young […]

Climate change and one result

Wildfire by Breena Bard

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The graphic novel Wildfire by Breena Bard has a heavy push of environmentalism and that which causes them, and how to try and fix them. Which is, of course a fantastic subject, but at times it felt a smidgen pushy. However, overall it is well done and introduces the subject well. I had a few spots where I had wished something else had happened or was handled differently, but I enjoyed things. A modern tone with bubbly, colorful, minimal detailed illustrations to help counter the […]

Poetry + science + activism = one heck of a book

The City Sings Green & Other Poems About Welcoming Wildlife by Erica Silverman

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I do not think I was halfway through The City Sings Green & Other Poems About Welcoming Wildlife by Erica Silverman and illustrated by Ginnie Hsu before I knew this was probably going to be my top April read (and yes, it is only a week into the month) and probably in my top picks for the year (and yes, it’s only four months old). The story is actually poems, but don’t let that stop you from reading! No, these are not artsy-fartsy ones! These […]

One seed

Big Tree by Brian Selznick

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While I did not completely love the grainy illustrations of Big Tree by Brian Selznick, I understand the reason for them and appreciate them. And there were several that were more fleshed out, but they felt few and far between. The story is a mature environmental tale with spiritual elements that is told by two seeds from a seed pod from Mama Sycamore. It does not sound like it makes sense, but it does, even if sometimes the flow of the story felt to be not as […]

Slightly unknown and unknow critters

Animals in Surprising Shades: Poems About Earth’s Colorful Creatures by Susan Johnston Taylor

Not a Monster by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez

Nudi Gill: Poison Powerhouse of the Sea by Bonnie Kelso

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There was a picture book reading marathon with my saved online reader copies the other day. I chose a dozen or so to review and about as many to not review. It wasn’t completely easy to choose, however, the below titles were the easiest choices I have made since the day I learned of a health condition I had. And that was so easy, I don’t even remember doing it! If you want a fantastic book with levels that allows for multiple interests and ages […]

Science, but fun

Angela’s Glacier by Jordan Scott

Climbing the Volcano by Curtis Manley

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Science was never my thing growing up. However, maybe if I was exposed to/had more science based stories, that mixed effortlessly fact and fiction, I might have gotten into things more. The titles (both due January 2024 and read via online reader copies) Angela’s Glacier and Climbing the Volcano would be the first two I would want to read.  Jordan Scott’s Angela’s Glacier is a unique way of telling us to “stop and smell the glacier.” Or for most of us, to stop and smell […]



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