music – Page 4 – Cannonball Read 17

Told in English and Chinese

Grandpa’s Magic Mask: A Story of Growth and Bravery in English and Chinese by Siping Wu

A House Just for Mommy: A Bedtime Story Told in English and Chinese by Dayong Gan

The Boy, the Deer, and the King: A Legend Retold in English and Chinese by Xiaochun Tang

Little Malan’s Debut: A Story of Courage Told in English and Chinese by Lumin Qian

November 22, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I do not speak a second language. As an adult, I regret not working harder on that, but I take solace in the fact that there are bilingual books out there and I can read the English part and admire the second language. Usually this is French or Spanish, but I have noticed that Chinese is taking its place. I’m not sure if the Chinese in these four books is Mandarin or Cantonese, so please let me know if you know! All will be available […]

I wish I had this girl helping me when I do my chores

Soulful Struttin’ by ulia Pierre Hammond

October 16, 2024 by BlackRaven 2 Comments

The title of the last book review was supposed to be, “I finally have gotten everything I have written, posted.” Then this morning I read one more picture book that is officially due late October/early November 2024, and I read via an online reader copy. Plus, I had just one more to post yesterday, but couldn’t get to it so it didn’t matter anyways! The book cover is the first thing you (obviously) see, so you know that you will have a diverse cast of […]

A song that lead to a anti-captivity movement and understanding of a wild creature

Whalesong: The True Story of the Musician Who Talked to Orcas by Zaqchariah Ohora

October 15, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

During a recent lunch that was not too exciting, I read a few books. They were all read online and all had recently become available. One of those books was Whalesong: The True Story of the Musician Who Talked to Orcas by Zaqchariah Ohora. The story itself is simple: a scientist named Paul and a musician named Paul and his children find a way to communicate with two orca whales. They learn a lot about communication, the whales themselves (how they play, grieve, and where […]

The littlest (quietest) revolutionary

The One & Only Googoosh: Iran's Beloved Superstar by Azadeh Westergaard

October 11, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Azadeh Westergaard’s The One & Only Googoosh: Iran’s Beloved Superstar is an interesting biographical book about a performer of Iran who is probably not well known to the general public. Even though she did a concert in the 2000’s I had never heard of her. But then again, I am not familiar with many international performers. But also, maybe her decades long forced silence in her homeland of Iran had something to do with it (and the fact that the concert mentioned in Westergaard’s book […]

Actually I don’t mind socks

Socks: A Kid's Christmas Lament by J.D. McPherson

September 24, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Unless we are psychic, only a few of us know what our parents and Santa will give us for the holidays (or we know the gifts because, like my parents, they got things I asked for). But the one thing the narrator of this story does not want, regardless of the situation, is socks. But since this book is tilted, Socks: A Kid’s Christmas Lament, we know that is the one thing he does get. J.D. McPherson explores how the joy of Christmas might be […]

Wow

The Boy Who Said Wow by Todd Boss

September 24, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The Boy Who Said Wow by Todd Boss and illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh is currently available, but I read it via an online reader copy. Based on a true event (a 2019 Mozart concert performed in Boston, attended by a nine-year-old nonverbal child named Ronan) this is a delightful story about the power of music and words. When a mostly nonverbal child experiences a concert for the first time with his grandfather, in the silence of the aftermath he expresses what he is feeling with […]

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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