Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Another Cinderella Story

Sootypaws: A Cinderella Story by Maggie Rudy

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I have organized the picture book reader copies several times recently (for various reasons). And I kept going around this book. I did not want to even touch it. Not that I have an issue with mice or even rats, but dead mice/rats are another thing and these cover critters looked dead. Never mind the fact that it seemed like it could be a fun alternative Cinderella story. I like alternative fairy tales and Cinderella stories in particular. I used to have a collection of […]

When You Make a Deal with a Nixie, remember to find out if your wife is pregnant.

The Nixie of the Mill-Pond and Other European Stories by Kel McDonald

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Do not judge a book by the cover is probably the first thing I learned about books. However, sometimes you can, sometimes not and sometimes there are books that you do both. The Nixie of the Mill-Pond and Other European Stories is one of those books that you think you know what is going on (there will be a Nixie, which looks like a mermaid/banshee/fairy, that will do something in a mill-pond) but open it up and there is something completely different. On page one we […]

Like a tea-tray in the sky

Bernard Pepperlin by Cara Hoffman

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Overall, Bernard Pepperlin is a sweet story. We have a hero mouse, with a familiar past, showing what the little guy can do. The story of Bernard (aka The Dormouse of one famous tea party), is one of courage, community, friendship and even, mistakes. The introduction by Cara Hoffman tells how Bernard came to life by telling about special friends, young sons and lots of hard work. Her text is smooth and well done. The illustrations are sparse, but what Olga Demidova has done is […]

I’m singing at the bridge, just singing at the bridge, what a glorious feeling to put Vole in my fridge….

Vole and Troll by Iza Trapani

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Review contains a few spoilers: There is nothing wrong with Vole and Troll the latest picture by Iza Trapani. Trapani is a delightful author and illustrator. The illustrations are cute, detailed and the brightness of each one makes them fun to “read” as well as look at and as fun as reading the actual text. The funky rhyming wording and the clever story make this a fun read-aloud for most ages. I am not a fan of this new take on an old favorite. This […]

Chap sees an swan in the cinema. He says “are you a swan?” “Yes” comes the answer. “What are you doing here?” “Well, I liked the book”.

Wild Swans by Xanthe Gresham Knight

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#cbr11bingo #Classic You most likely know at least one version of the classic story of Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen; but the illustrations by Charlotte Gastaut are what make this edition, retold by Xanthe Gresham Knight, fresh. Knight’s version of the story has the young princess, Eliza, sent to live with a family in a village that has not been touched by the plague that took her mother. This is after her father remarries and Stepmother knows that to keep her safe, Eliza must […]

Not so jolly giant and his Jack

Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke

Mighty Jack and the Goblin King by Ben Hatke

Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

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The Might Jack series by Ben Hatke starts as a separate, but companion series to the Zita the Spacegirl graphic novels. Books One (Mighty Jack) and Book Two (Mighty Jack and the Goblin King) set up Jack’s, Maddy, and Lilly’s adventures. These adventures mirror another story that has a Jack, some magic seeds and a few giants in it. Only, these magic seeds are purchased by trading the family car (not cow) and what grows is not just a beanstalk, but all sorts of creatures […]



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