Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

I want to ride my bicycle and eat noodles

Noodle on a Bicycle (Caldecott Honor Book) by Kyo Maclear and Gracey Zhang

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I can be a snob when a book is given high praise. Especially winning something like the Caldecott or even a Caldecott honor award. Now, that is not to say the book wasn’t deserving, but I have the personality that says, “Was it really that good?” Usually, I can enjoy it, but no, it was not worth the “hype.” I said usually. The picture book Noodle on a Bicycle (Caldecott Honor Book) by Kyo Maclear and Gracey Zhang (as the illustrator) was worth the award(s) […]

The Ghost of Memories

There's a Ghost in the Garden by Kyo Maclear

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There is a message inside of There’s a Ghost in the Garden by Kyo Maclear, but it is one that will be different for each reader. Also, it is okay if you just enjoy the words of Maclear, the flow of text and the illustrations (by Katty Maurey) without taking any meaning from them. It works on both levels allowing the reader to take what is needed at each listen and/or reading.  This can work for many ages, though it is for slightly older listeners/readers. […]

Gyo Fujikawa drew some babies and made history

It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way by Kyo Maclear

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I have read It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way before. However, I had forgotten what a gem Kyo Maclear’s story was. Therefore, it was like finding it all over again. Once reading, I remembered a few things, but new information came to light. We know Gyo Fujikawa for her babies of all colors. But this was not always the case. She, along with a select few, decided to put diverse characters in their images. Yet, in the 1960s, this did […]

Gyo Fujikawa Drew her way into our hearts

It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way by Kyo Maclear 

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It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way by Kyo Maclear and illustrated by Julie Morstad is a different picture book. It is a picture book about someone who fought not only to be seen themselves, but for others to be seen too. In the 1920’s Gyo Fujikawa did what few women and even fewer Japanese people did: she went to college. She did what few people in the 1960’s did: she put pictures of all races of babies on the same page in […]

I wish I may….

The Wish Tree by Kyo Maclear

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The Wish Tree is a book that one does not expect a lot from. It looks like a cute winter story. I even assumed a holiday/Christmas story by the cover itself. However, Kyo Maclear creates a story that is not just a sweet and simple winter story. It has something more. You almost feel full after reading it. It is, if nothing else, an experience book. What the experience will be is up to you, the reader. The story is about the youngest sibling trying […]

Take the World by Storm

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This was such a “Wow!” book for me. I did not know the fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, though I am somewhat familiar with the style of her time. A style that she helped create. Again, in this day of looking for books to inspire girls to go out and try (especially when they are told they should not because of their economic status, it is “unlady like” or they are not “fill in the blank”) this is another to add to the list. However, some […]



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