Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

She climbed and protected so we all could enjoy

Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains by Anita Yasuda and Yuko Shimizu

by Leave a Comment

I am not a sports person. I am not an outdoors person. I am not a hiking person. And I am certainly not a mountain climbing person. I am a person who will read a book outside (but it’s a porch and there better be running water/bathroom and cool drinks nearby). And I am a person who will read a book about someone who is an outdoors, sporty, mountain climbing person. And  Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains by Anita […]

I want to ride my bicycle and eat noodles

Noodle on a Bicycle (Caldecott Honor Book) by Kyo Maclear and Gracey Zhang

by 2 Comments

I can be a snob when a book is given high praise. Especially winning something like the Caldecott or even a Caldecott honor award. Now, that is not to say the book wasn’t deserving, but I have the personality that says, “Was it really that good?” Usually, I can enjoy it, but no, it was not worth the “hype.” I said usually. The picture book Noodle on a Bicycle (Caldecott Honor Book) by Kyo Maclear and Gracey Zhang (as the illustrator) was worth the award(s) […]

When Matty was gone

The Hole by Lindsay Bonilla

by Leave a Comment

If you can say that something is both sweet and bittersweet at the same time, it would be the picture book, The Hole by Lindsay Bonilla and illustrated by Brizida Magro. It is due in February 2025 and I read via an online reader copy. But it might have to stay a one time read as it is not a happy story, but so tenderly done. The loss of  the brother in this story is handled with care and empathy. The overall  tone is modern […]

Hiking through boyhood “shoulds”

When You’re a Boy by Blake Nuto

by Leave a Comment

We know the stereotypes of what “boys and girls should be.” And there are several books out there that talk about how girls should break that mold and be bold, brave, aggressive, smart, funny, and basically be “like a boy” and not the shy, demure “should be” of a girl. This time Blake Nuto takes that concept, but for boys. A boy should be like the cruel wild, but the narrator is also saying they have learned about kindness. There are several parts to this […]

Lining up History

Lady of the Lines: How Maria Reiche Saved the Nazca Lines by Sweeping the Desert by Michaela Maccoll and Elisa Chavarri

by Leave a Comment

Lady of the Lines: How Maria Reiche Saved the Nazca Lines by Sweeping the Desert by Michaela Maccoll and illustrated by Elisa Chavarri has the privilege of being one of my favorite books of 2025 so far. Due in April 2025 (I read via an online reader copy) I hope you run out and preorder it at your local independent bookstore, buy copies for all the kids (and adults) you know, for town and school libraries, not to mention for the tiny free libraries on […]

Charles Addams, Shel Silverstein, AA Milne and Edward Gorey had a baby this would be its cousin.

The Boy Who Lived in a Shell: Snippets for Wandering Minds by John Himmelman

by Leave a Comment

If Charles Addams, Shel Silverstein, AA Milne and Edward Gorey had a baby this would be its cousin. The Boy Who Lived in a Shell: Snippets for Wandering Minds by John Himmelman is not necessarily spooky or kooky like Addams or Gorey; or rhyming like Silverstein and does not have the sweetness or innocence of Milne, but a mixture that is all its own. Due mid-March 2025, I read via an online reader’s copy. The stories the boy talks about, or actually writes, are on […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo