Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Giraffe ferry

The GiRaft: A Real-Life Giraffe Rescue by Laurel Neme and Elisa Paganelli

by Leave a Comment

There is clever and there is clever but just misses the mark when it comes to a fun title. And this is a clever title. The GiRaft: A Real-Life Giraffe Rescue is an easily accessible book as it explains about people save some rare giraffes by using a raft to save it, after a natural event causes a serious situation.  But Laurel Neme gave us more than just that. There is history and environmentalism. There is love of animals and the land. There is a […]

From dump to park

Once a Wasteland: From Toxic Dump to National Park by Diane Muldrow and Amy Jindra Hodgson

by Leave a Comment

Starting off almost poetically, Once a Wasteland: From Toxic Dump to National Park moves into the facts quickly. Everything is laid out in simple, but not simplistic terms. The overall tone is good, it allows you to access a piece of history and the extras allow the book to grow with the reader. However, “points” are lost due to the fact environmental stories are not new, it was not necessarily told in a new manner and I had questions that were not answered, such as […]

The not so social media

Gabby Torres Gets a Billion Followers by Angela Dominguez

by Leave a Comment

Gabby Torres Gets a Billion Followers by Angela Dominguez has its moments, but I was not the audience, and therefore, most of the moments were lost on me. However, ages 8 to (young) 13 would really enjoy it. The modern themes keep it contemporary, but with a classically familiar feeling of the coming of age story. Gabby is 9 years old. She is an only child and precocious (it’s obvious why her parents were good with just one of her!). She is obviously a bit […]

She made sure it was not a silent night

Rachel Carson's Wonder-Filled World : How the Scientist, Writer, and Nature Lover Changed the Environmental Movement by Kate Hannigan

by Leave a Comment

This poetic biography of Rachel Carson covers the basic facts, but also gives a romantic twist to how her personality, adventures and contributions were. There are multiple sections where the five senses come into play and we learn what she sees, hears, smells, feels, and tastes. They could be literal but mostly metaphorical.  Rachel Carson’s Wonder-Filled World : How the Scientist, Writer, and Nature Lover Changed the Environmental Movement by Kate Hannigan and illustrated by Katie Hickey (which I read via an online reader copy […]

My Name Is Brave

My Name Is Brave: LGBTQIA+ by William Anthony

My Name Is Brave: The Environment by William Anthony

by Leave a Comment

My Name Is Brave: LGBTQIA+  by William Anthony (due January 2025) is a nice book and a good introduction on LGBT+ issues, but it has been done before. You could find this information in almost any book on the subject. However, the addition of showing how the reader can partake in helping this or another cause they need to be brave for, is good.  The mixture of photographs and drawing bring to life a handful of advocates. In a few pages each we see a transgender […]

If a tree falls, is that all?

One Day This Tree Will Fall by Leslie Barnard Booth

by Leave a Comment

I was looking to see what author Leslie Barnard Booth had on their list of titles after A Stone Is a Story. And there were a few titles. The one that caught my eye was One Day This Tree Will Fall. It looked like their stone book, and therefore I figured it would be similar.  And it was similar, and not just because it was about nature or I read it as an online reader copy even though it is available for purchase/getting. It is […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo