City & Town Life – Page 2 – Cannonball Read 17

It takes a community to make juice

Fresh Juice by Robert Liu-Trujillo

January 5, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The picture book Fresh Juice might not become a classic, but it probably should. However, at the very least this mid-July 2023 release is going to be popular for many reasons. And the text is a good place as any to start. This story by Robert Liu-Trujillo tells the story of a father and son and their community. You might need vitamins and ginger and a little cayenne pepper for a cold-clobbering juice, but a little community added in does not hurt as well. And […]

Special lesson and good food.

The Best Kind of Mooncake by Pearl Auyeung

November 7, 2022 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

There are several books about kindness, and The Best Kind of Mooncake by Pearl Auyeung includes that lesson, plus ones about family, friendship, community, and culture, too. One morning in Hong Kong, a young girl and her siblings are promised a mooncake that was the best of the best. But they will have to wait, and the long day in her family’s spot in the market drags. Soon it is time to eat, but there is an odd thing that happens, making it so the […]

Growing up

Green Green: A Community Gardening Story by Marie Lamba

August 20, 2021 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I think the understatement of the year, century even, is I like books. A lot. And I enjoy working at a bookstore where I can find books I would not normally get in another job (short of a library). I find books that I would not even think of looking at let alone reading. And one of those genres is picture books. I have found once we become “older” we think these are too young, babyish even. We become snobs. I say, “Pa-shah on you!” […]

Please do not read if you are a fan of Eloise

Eloise: A Book for Precocious Grown Ups by Kay Thompson

July 15, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

cbr12bingo AdaptationOh, I just hate hate hate Eloise: A Book for Precocious Grown Ups, Kay Thompson. Please tell me WHY she has been so popular for over 60 years? Why have there been sequels, modern book updates/adaptations, toys and at least two movie adaptations? She is a spoiled brat, with absolutely no redeeming qualities. Rude, inconsiderate and not even remotely funny. I have to say in 1955 you had an odd idea of what people wanted to read. Or was that the point? This is […]

This Country Girl will stay that way after reading about these City Girls

The City Girls by Aki

May 22, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The City Girls is a modern-day Madeline without the charm. The girls line up, they go out into the city where they see and do things. Yet, sadly, this book did not speak to me the way I hoped. It is very busy. Each page is overcrowded. You get the feeling of the city, but you cannot necessarily enjoy it. However, whomever the right reader is will enjoy learning about things that happen in the city. You would just have to take your time going […]

What’s the name of that song?

The Music of Life by Louis Thomas

March 11, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Picture books are fun. You can read a book and finish it in a few minutes. You can feel like you accomplished something. You can learn things that you would not necessarily have been exposed to, because it is a “tough subject” but when it is “summarized” to be accessible to a younger crowd you can say, “OH NOW I get it…” (I am looking at you School House Rock. Okay that is a TV show, but the same concept.) But with The Music of […]

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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