Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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May I introduce Tini Malina?

Fancy Dogs by Tini Malina and Tammi Reiche

Selma-The Story of a Stellar Spider by Tini Malina and Mariana Llanos

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The soon to be published (October 2026) picture book, Fancy Dogs by Tini Malina and Tammi Reiche is a cute story for the younger listener and a good just starting out solo reader. I am neither of these types of readers, but still felt this was a good book. Maybe not the best I’ve read, but one that I recommend to dog lovers of all ages. This book came to me via an online reader in an email from the publisher. I would email the […]

Don’t bug out!

Insectopolis: A Natural History by Peter Kuper

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Insectopolis: A Natural History by Peter Kuper is a crazy, wild, odd, neat, and informative read. I have read books on insects (mostly picture books and graphic novels for children to teens), but I think this might be my favorite read yet. Kuper mixes fiction, fantasy, speculative and non-fiction as the impact of these creatures unfolds.  We start with a brother and sister off in New York City, going to an exhibit at “some library.” The sister is a scientist, her brother a “dude” but […]

I was going to send all the spider pictures to my sister, but she’d unalive me….

The Spider Lady: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid World War II Army by Penny Parker Klostermann

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Disclaimer: Realistic spiders are drawn in the book The Spider Lady: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid World War II Army by Penny Parker Klostermann and  Anne Lambelet. It is due early May 2025, and was read via an online reader copy. OMG! Now, if you do not like spiders, you probably should not read this book. However, I wish you would. Yes, there are spiders (a lot of spiders) but the art of Lambelet makes them so darn cute!  I mean, I’d cuddle with them…. […]

The moans and groans coming from me were from narrowing down the images I wanted to us

Skeleton Bones and Goblin Groans  by Amy E. Sklansky and Karen Dismukes

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I enjoy poetry, but I prefer children’s poetry to adult poems (unless the poetry is a bit more straight forward and not too “fancy”). In Skeleton Bones and Goblin Groans  I figured it would be either overly spooky, or overly silly. Now, it never really got too spooky (but it does mention a vampire having a bite) but it is silly. For the most part it never gets overly silly, but it is silly. You read about skeletons, ghouls, and more. The rhyming and humor […]

Which pollinator has the shiny hiney?

The Great Pollinator Count by Susan Edwards Richmond

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The subject in The Great Pollinator Count by Susan Edwards Richmond is not new, but the presentation is fresh and gives the information in an informative (even I learned a few things; such as how to know which pollinator has the shiny hiney) but it is also done in a fun manner. Learning to count the insects, learning about the plants included and more make this a clever book. I wish the illustrations by Stephanie Fizer Coleman were a bit more realistic, but they work […]

Jump on the Earth Train

Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider by Jessica Lanan

The Day the River Caught Fire: How the Cuyahoga River Exploded and Ignited the Earth Day Movement by Barry Wittenstein

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Science and history can be a fun subject for kids. However, it always seems that people hit on the same historical event or scientific areas. Therefore, I am interested when I find books that do not cover the “same old same old,” or find a fresh take on an old favorite. While both books are available, I read them via online reader copies. When I saw Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider, My first thought was, “Oh a spider.” My […]



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