Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Giraffe ferry

The GiRaft: A Real-Life Giraffe Rescue by Laurel Neme and Elisa Paganelli

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There is clever and there is clever but just misses the mark when it comes to a fun title. And this is a clever title. The GiRaft: A Real-Life Giraffe Rescue is an easily accessible book as it explains about people save some rare giraffes by using a raft to save it, after a natural event causes a serious situation.  But Laurel Neme gave us more than just that. There is history and environmentalism. There is love of animals and the land. There is a […]

Birds for a BINGO Board Blackout

The Wisdom of Birds, An Illustrated History of Ornithology by Tim Birkhead

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CBR 17 BINGO: Migrant, because many bird species migrate. Quadruple Bingo and Board Blackout! Across: Migrant, Review, Black, School, Rec’d Down: Migrant, Play, “B“, Favorite, Arts Diagonal: Migrant, Purple, “N“, Border, White Four corners and the center: Migrant, Rec’d, White, Arts, “N” The title of Tim Birkhead’s The Wisdom of Birds is misleading if you fail to read the subtitle, An Illustrated History of Ornithology, which sums up the book nicely. One might wonder why the author didn’t just go with a more precise title, […]

From dump to park

Once a Wasteland: From Toxic Dump to National Park by Diane Muldrow and Amy Jindra Hodgson

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Starting off almost poetically, Once a Wasteland: From Toxic Dump to National Park moves into the facts quickly. Everything is laid out in simple, but not simplistic terms. The overall tone is good, it allows you to access a piece of history and the extras allow the book to grow with the reader. However, “points” are lost due to the fact environmental stories are not new, it was not necessarily told in a new manner and I had questions that were not answered, such as […]

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 […]

We can still talk about summer books

Summer Solstice Wish by Kate Allen Fox and Elisa Paganelli

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Recently I found an online reader copy of a title called Summer Solstice Wish by Kate Allen Fox and Elisa Paganelli. They have a prequel or companion Winter Solstice Wish which I remember reading, but was not WOWed by it, but felt that it was enjoyable to read. However, I tried to read Summer, and could not finish it. Perhaps I was in the wrong mood for it. Perhaps I was not the reader for it. Perhaps I was thinking of Halloween and summer was […]

Talk to the mountain

I Am the Mountain by Steven Weinberg

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I Am the Mountain by Steven Weinberg is a fun and cute illustration that paints the seasons as seen by a mountain. While good for most ages, this book is broken into four “chapters” (each season) that might be best for an adult lover of art, nature or unique picture books. It might seem easy at first glance, but there are layers and it can be deeper than you would think. Read via an online reader copy but I think I might find a finished […]



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