Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

What can a potato do?

Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa: Join the Quest with Peru's Famed Scientist and Potato Expert by Sara Andrea Fajardo and Juana Martinez-Neal

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As with several books I was not going to read, Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa: Join the Quest with Peru’s Famed Scientist and Potato Expert by Sara Andrea Fajardo and Juana Martinez-Neal (illustrator) was one of them, but it eventually found its way to my TBR pile as it was on a Best of 2025 Picture Book list. This was the final sign that told me I probably should read it. I was still nervous as when a book gets that hyped […]

A friendship book made by friends, for friends

I Don’t Care by Julie Fogliano,

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I Don’t Care is a clever book. This is not just because of the text of Julie Fogliano, but how it came to be. The illustrators, Molly Idle and Juana Martinez-Neal are best friends, and they knew they had to do the art together. An afterwards (a small section at the end that you should read as well) shows how Molly thought since they lived 20 minutes from each other, easy peasy, right? Well, then Juana moved to Connecticut and the back and forth in […]

Truly a perfect fit

A Perfect Fit: How Lena “Lane” Bryant Changed the Shape of Fashion by Mara Rockliff

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Growing up I looked at my mother’s Lane Bryant catalog and think, “What a bunch of old lady clothes.” (I do not believe I had hit double numbers yet.) As I got older, I learned to appreciate the fact that it was hard for plus sized women to find clothing. Any kind of clothing, let alone nice and professional. And Lane Bryant helped my mom be as fabulous on the outside as she was inside. I would go on and buy things from there myself […]

Time for picture book reviewing again!

Tomatoes for Neela by Padma Lakshmi

Tilda Tries Again by Tom Percival

Pout-Pout Fish: Passover Treasure by Deborah Diesen

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I am hungry. (Of course, that is like saying, it is Tuesday on Tuesday.) And a fun snack is cherry or grape tomatoes for me. Therefore, when I saw the word tomatoes in the title of this picture book, I was intrigued. In Tomatoes for Neela, Neela and her mother cook dishes and show how tomatoes play a role in foods of a culture. This task also shows how culture brings families together, even if one member (say, a beloved grandmother) is far away living […]

You crusty ol’ sea dog!

Swashby and the Sea by Beth Ferry

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A young girl and her grandmother move next door to one ol’ poop of an ex-sailor in Swashby and the Sea. And while that sounds horrible, things turn out for the best with humor, much love and the sea providing only what is needed. On the surface the book seems serious, but the overall atmosphere is light-hearted. The antics of the girl and ol’ sea dog will amuse. I found this story of love and friendship sweet and comforting with a dash of not sadness, […]

Alma

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Names are a funny thing. Growing up how many of us hated our names? I wanted to be something exotic (why I choose the nickname Raven. They are smart, clever, mischievous and even magical. Yes, a little dark, too…)  Long story short, as a child my name and I had a love/hate relationship (I loved to hate it….)  However, once I got older I learned the story of my name. I am named after a great-aunt and a grandmother. I would have been named Dominique […]



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