Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“Mingle! Guide! Delight!” isn’t a bad philosophy

Leave it to Plum by Matt Phelan

by 1 Comment

Leave it to Plumby Matt Phelan is the story of a “peppy purple peacock” & his trials & tribulations at the Athensville Zoo. Plum is a legacy – the however many times great grandson of the original zoo peacocks, given free wandering rights at the zoo, who are responsible for mingling, guiding & delighting the zoo’s visitors. Plum’s a great bird, if a little flighty (in the always late & a little scatterbrained way, not the bird way), who friends everywhere, and takes his duties […]

I want a friend like Plum

Leave It to Plum! by Matt Phelan

by Leave a Comment

Plum can be a bit, shall we say, enthusiastic and naïve, but that also makes them endearing in Leave It to Plum! by Matt Phelan. Plum is a peacock at the local zoo. Plum and their peacock friends and family wander freely throughout greeting guests. Until one day peacock feathers have been found at the scene of several crimes within the zoo. Plum cannot imagine anyone in the zoo trying to frame them, but Plum soon learns that sometimes things are not what they seem, […]

A Hippo Walks into a Zoo

Hippopotamister by John Patrick Green

by Leave a Comment

When Red Panda leaves the broken zoo, in Hippopotamister by John Patrick Green, he comes back every so often to tell Hippo how wonderful the outside world is. And Hippo enjoys these visitations until one day Hippo is not content to just listen to the stories, he wants to leave and find a wonderful job for himself, like Red Panda has had so many off (and yes, folks, Hippo is a sweet, naïve lug of a hippo and did not see the red flags). And […]

Watch your penguin… I mean baby!

Vampenguin by Lucy Ruth Cummins

by Leave a Comment

Vampenguin written and illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins cannot have 250 words written about it. When you say, “A baby vampire trades places with a penguin at the zoo for the day and they cause a bit of mischief.” You have said it all. Of course, you can then say things like, “Why were the parents so clueless?” They and the older sibling had plenty of opportunities to notice the change. Even if they are looking at the other animals or talking on the cellphone. […]

April Showers will bring more than Flowers!

Ellie Makes a Friend by Mike Wu

by Leave a Comment

Ellie Makes a Friend is the latest installment of the Ellie series started in 2015. However, you do not have had to read the other books. Ellie Makes a Friend is a standalone gem. Mike Wu continues the adventures of one artistic elephant named Ellie in a comfortable and sweet story about being envious and worrying about one’s own talent. Of course, in the end Ellie (and we the reader) learn all about friendship. Ping is a new animal in the zoo. And at first […]

A little snoring gets awfully annoyin’

Stop Snoring, Bernard! by Zachariah OHora

by Leave a Comment

I can empathize with Bernard’s friends in Stop Snoring, Bernard! In typical Zachariah OHora style, their little otter just wants to sleep, his friends want to sleep, but Bernard and his snoring keeps everyone up. Will he ever find a place he will not bother others? This is a cute but somewhat predictable story. I do think a different ending would have been interesting, however. As there is an interesting solution that could have been taken farther, even if not exactly the most realistic ending. […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo