Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A story web

Along Came a Radioactive Spider: Strange Steve Ditko and the Creation of Spider-Man by Annie Hunter Eriksen

by Leave a Comment

The only thing odder than the character of Spider-Man is the creator himself, Steve Ditko. The long and short of it is, Spider-Man was not your usual hero. He did not have bulging muscles, or super powers, other than that of a spider. His web slinging and wall climbing could be considered creepy. His alter ego was a teenager who tripped over books quicker than the Green Goblin could toss a pumpkin bomb. And I am saying Steve Ditko was odder than that?  Well if […]

Activist and leader

Little People, Big Dreams: Vanessa Nakate by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

by Leave a Comment

As I said with my Lenny Henry review, I recently refound the Little People, Big Dreams series, with their new people or new to most children biography series. When I found Vanessa Nakate I said, “That name sounds familiar, who is she again?” Then I realized she was that Vanessa Nakate, the young woman who had her image cropped out of the photograph that included other climate change activists. This young woman knew that she was not just being cropped out of a photograph, but […]

A funny thing happened when I went looking for a book to read

Little People, Big Dreams:  Lenny Henry by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara

by Leave a Comment

I recently refound the Little People, Big Dreams series. I had given them a break because they were doing the same people other series were doing. Nothing wrong with that, but I needed something new. And when I found them again, there were people that were new to me or new to children’s picture book biographies. Or people I was surprised that readers/authors/creators of series were still thinking of them, or at least to the point that they felt a new biography was needed (I […]

Hail To the President

Brave Volodymyr: The Story of Volodymyr Zelensky and the Fight for Ukraine by Linda Elovitz Marshall

by Leave a Comment

After reading the chapter book about ghosts, I found a book about Volodymyr Zelensky. I figured you cannot get farther apart in subjects, so it was the perfect next read.  Now, I will say that while I enjoyed Brave Volodymyr: The Story of Volodymyr Zelensky and the Fight for Ukraine, it is slanted. The start of this picture book was telling us in the most poetic manner how beautiful the Ukrainian flag is. How magnificent. How proud the people of Ukraine are of it. Now, […]

Unapologetic Style

Stepping Out: The Unapologetic Style of African Americans over Fifty  by Connie Briscoe

by 2 Comments

I am not a fashion person. But I love good art. And this book is not just fashion but it is art as well. However, I do like history and this book also gives you the history of several subjects and areas. This book needs at least three readings. The first read is so that you look at the fantastic photographs. Savory them. The colors, the art, the funky and fun styles. The second read is for reading the text. There is a lot more […]

Two Takes on Religion and Politics

Life On the Fringes by Haviva Ner-David

Take This Bread by Sara Miles

by Leave a Comment

                                                        CBR15Bingo: Politics (feminism, inter-community politics, personal politics) Both of these texts engage with what religion means to the writer and how they engage with their religious communities with a more radical and transformative mindset. Reading them in close succession was an interesting look into how feminist, progressive religious women struggle to find their place within structured organizations. However, they are coming from two very different faith traditions and two very different personalities as well. As someone who reacts strongly with the personality of the […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo