Birthday! – Cannonball Read 17

Busy Busy

I'm Very Busy: A (Nearly Forgotten) Birthday Book by Oliver Jeffers

September 2, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

An odd way to start a review is to say I did not really care for I’m Very Busy: A (Nearly Forgotten) Birthday Book by Oliver Jeffers. If you did not like something why take the time to write about it? Honestly I thought that I wouldn’t until I got to thinking about if I had a customer looking for a birthday book that was a bit goofy and different, but has some common elements too, what could I give them? Well, Jeffers book was […]

“Good Morning with roses and jasmine,”

A Good Morning for Giddo by Dahlia Constantine and Irene Latham

August 22, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Picture books are a great way to read a book without reading a few hundred pages. They still can entertain, give factual information and make you laugh. Of course, you can cry and be mad, too, as everything is there, as well. I have said this before and will say it again: Picture books are legitimate books. And A Good Morning for Giddo is a very legitimate book. It does not have a big action scene and the message is a little slow in the […]

Misfortunes is an understatement

The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang by Stan Yan

August 20, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

TITLE: The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang AUTHOR / ILLUSTROR Stan Yan Read via an advanced reader copy DUE September/late October 2025 Review: This is an interesting coming of age story with a potential supernatural element. I mean potential because is a ghost really talking to Eugenia, or is it just a normal fear manifesting itself? There are modern pieces that are mixed with the tradition of a Chinese family. And as Eugenia starts to become a teenager, she questions some of her mothers […]

Uni Uni Unicorns and cupcakes and friendship and balloons and magic and fun

Unicornia V02: A Magical Birthday by Ana Punset

May 12, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

While you would think I review every book I read, I actually don’t. Of course, I tend to write more reviews than not, even for books that might not have completely “grabbed” my “love” or “really like” buttons. Sometimes I write one because I didn’t finish it. But that is not the case with the below series/book. Not to say that Unicornia V02: A Magical Birthday by Ana Punset and Diana Vicedo (illustrator) was bad, it just did not grab me. This is partly because […]

Anda one book; anda two book; anda three!

The Eidi Bag by Shazia Afzal

The Jellyfish Bus by Suhyeon Lee

What if Marty Doesn’t Like My Party? by Katie Arthur

January 17, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Three books I enjoyed, but am not really able to give a full review to each individual are below. This is because if you try to write up a “full review” you just end up telling the story. And then, you, the reader of this review, will not want to read the actual books! (Each one was read via an online reader copy.) Starting with The Eidi Bag by Shazia Afzal and illustrated by Shiva Delsooz, we have a book (currently available) that dives into […]

Food, Family, Fun

The Blue Bowl by Flo Leung

October 6, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The year 2024 is shaping up to have several interesting looking books, and picture books in particular. March 2024 will be giving us a story of how a young boy, Max, loves his family and their culture, but who also likes other things too within the pages of The Blue Bowl. We see how Max and his family celebrate, how this family comes together in one large group of fun, and when the special blue bowls come out, he knows it is a very special […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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