Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A book Susan Eaddy and Lucy Fleming made

Eenie Meenie Halloweenie by Susan Eaddy

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Let’s end the year with my favorite holiday, Halloween. Eenie Meenie Halloweenie is a clever rhyming book that uses the child’s imagination to pick out a Halloween costume. Should she be an elephant or penguin? She is sure whatever it will be, it is going to be something she can make and the clever ideas on how to make a penguin or monkey will be great for dress up time any time of the year. Her solution is clever, if not necessarily the most realistic, […]

They say it with love

How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? by Jane Yolen

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The illustrations of the cover tell you that this is another Jane Yolen and Mark Teague collaboration. And the cute lovely dinosaur on said cover shows you it is part of their How Do Dinosaurs…? series. The title tells you that this is How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? The format is familiar: the narrator asks does the dinosaur do X? (Something naughty or mischievous). And then you see what you should be doing to celebrate the holiday. The board book format makes it perfect […]

Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree, who invented thee?

Tomie dePaola's Christmas Tree Book by Tomie dePaola

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I am sure that I have mentioned before that I love Tomie dePaola! Even the books that are not as strong as some of my favorites are always delightful to read. dePaola always knows how to write a story on the level for anyone to enjoy and keeps one’s interests. While the publisher says it is for ages 4 to 8 I can see an older child enjoying it as well and of course adults will get a kick out it. This time, we learn […]

7 Vests and One Cool Bird

Little Robin’s Christmas. by Jan Fearnley (

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I enjoyed the illustrations immensely in Little Robin’s Christmas. This story by Jan Fearnley is sweet. But it did not hit the right note with me. The point of the story is obvious (be kind to others) and the ending was a bit forced for my liking. The cameo by another person we associate with the color of red and a winter holiday was a little disappointing. Little Robin has seven vest and each day he puts a new one on. But as he goes […]

Everybody judges from the point of view of his own inadequacy.

Holiday by Stanley Middleton

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Another Booker prize winner from the early days of the prize, 1974. This smallish and subtle novel is on the one hand, a fairly good novel, but also one that I am not certain is worthwhile of the prize. Maybe for the year, but it oddly split the prize with Nadine Gordimer’s The Conservationist, which is a weightier and more serious novel, but also one I liked less. Part of my thinking with these early days of prizes is that we have amazingly good writers […]

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 […]



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