Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

When fear makes you small, friendship makes you tall

Shrinking Violet by Laurel Snyder and LeUyen Pham

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The book, Shrinking Violet by Laurel Snyder and illustrated by LeUyen Pham is a fun and sweet story dealing with the common themes of fear and bravery. We also have friendship and how that ties into overcoming the fear to be brave. While the themes are not new, the presentation gives things a fresh and clever take. The colors and details are rich, but not “too much” and allow focus on the story. The only real issue I had (since I read this due late […]

Grateful for Soccer

Morgan Plays Soccer by Anne Rockwell

Look and Be Grateful by Tomie dePaola

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I cannot think of two more opposite books than Morgan Plays Soccer by Anne Rockwell (illustrated by Paul Meisel) and Look and Be Grateful by Tomie dePaola. Actually  I probably could if I really thought about it, but right now out of the books I have read and are reviewing here, I can’t. You see Morgan is about a new kid who gets himself involved in playing soccer. With only a soccer jersey as his connection to the game. But he learns it is fun, […]

Busy Busy

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

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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 […]

To those of us who get the hiccups

A Cure for the Hiccups by Jennifer E. Smith

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I love that the author’s dedication is to the person who eats raw carrots and gets the hiccups afterwards. I thought  I was the only one that happened to.  So, this proves books help represent all of us in our times of need! And, oh, yeah, it also really helps if you have the hiccups, too.  This is a book that is fun, funny, clever, and deals with more than just  the hiccups. Seriously, A Cure for the Hiccups by Jennifer E. Smith and illustrated […]

Mom’s ups and downs

My Mom Is Like a Kite by Lisl H. Detlefsen

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While mental health issue stories are not new, even in children’s books, Lisl H. Detlefsen makes a fresh and creative work in My Mom Is Like a Kite. I assumed that the Mom in question would probably have highs and lows, but I did not expect them to be as serious as they are. I assumed this would be a lighthearted story about feelings, one that says even adults are happy, sad, scared, etc. You know, real emotions. This is partly because Nathalie Dion’s illustrations […]

She has a secret

Ellie Has a Secret by Amelia Bothe

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While I enjoyed Amelia Bothe’s Ellie Has a Secret, (due mid-August 2025) for the story, I mostly enjoyed the illustrations. The story itself is not new (which is about a child having a secret that makes the “tummy wobbles” happen), but the illustrations really grabbed my attention. They are not overly colorful, but do not lack in that area either. They are detailed, but not overly so. Sometimes they can be a bit busy, but it does not distract or take away from the experience. […]



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