Melissa Sweet – Cannonball Read 17

The 3 Named Hippie Nun

Sister Corita's Words and Shapes by Jeanette Winter

Signs of Hope: The Revolutionary Art of Sister Corita Kent by Mara Rockliff

December 1, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Who was Sister Corita? To start with, she was a woman who would have three names by the end of her life, each representing that chapter her journey was in. Born Frances Elizabeth Kent, she would enter the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart at age 18, becoming Sister Mary Corita Kent, then after over 30 years, she would leave them and become Corita Kent. She was a creative person that made her students think, see/look, and do it outside of the box. During a time […]

Who is Judith Scott?

Unbound: The Life and Art of Judith Scott by Joyce Scott

June 23, 2021 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Art is subjective. What I consider art you might think is trash. And what you consider art I might say, “There is a reason art rhymes with a bodily function.” Yet, I think we both can agree that the life of Judith Scott was pretty darn amazing even if we disagree about her work being art. I first became aware of Unbound: The Life and Art of Judith Scott written by her twin, Joyce, was when I was looking at an online catalog/ordering site the […]

A sensory journey

How to Read a Book by Kwame Alexander’

June 26, 2019 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I wanted to read Kwame Alexander’s picture book as I had just finished Crossover the Graphic Novel and wanted to experience another genre he had written. Sometimes an author excels at novels, sometimes picture books and a rare few can cross over into any format. I think Alexander is one that can easily flow into any format. The entire book is a piece of art. How to Read a Book might be more sophisticated than the traditional picture book crowd, but everyone will find something […]

Not your parent’s sheep meets wolf story

June 8, 2018 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Baabwaa and Wooliam: A Tale of Literacy, Dental Hygiene, and Friendship written by David Elliott and illustrated by Melissa Sweet is not your parent’s sheep meets wolf story. Baabwaa loves to knit (a very practical hobby for a sheep) and Wooliam is a sheep who likes to read (which is not very common in the sheep world). They are content to do this day in and day out. Until one day they decide they need to go on an adventure. They go out, turn left […]

Shaking Things Up

May 8, 2018 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Poems about 14 different women who “shook things up” and changed the world are seen on the pages of Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World by Susan Hood. Various female illustrators illustrate each person’s story in their signature style. From Ruby Bridges (not a woman, but a 6-year-old girl) to the first woman NYC fire fighter (and slave to a local firefighter) to a pair of sisters who were spies (and very important to the war effort. And one was even […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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