Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Making Space for Mistakes

How to Wear A Sari by Darshana Khiani Illustrations by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

by 1 Comment

I know literally zero things about Saris. I think they’re beautiful, and I admire their beauty from afar, but the closest I’ve ever gotten to one was my childhood best friend’s mother, who always looked gorgeous & ready for whatever kind of day she might encounter, when I would go to their house after school. Mistakes though? Trying something and messing it up? More than once? Sometimes in a really big & embarrassing way? Well I’m a professional at that, friends. And you all should […]

Walter Does His Best, and so do the rest of us

Walter Does His Best by Eva Pilgrim

by Leave a Comment

In Walter Does His Best by Eva Pilgrim, Walter is a good dog, or at least he tries really hard to be. Kids will enjoy his misadventures – digging in the neighbor’s garden, giving up his seat on the subway, helping ducks to cross the street – even though his owner certainly does not. As each of Walter’s attempts to help go ever more and more awry, the illustrations and text get more outrageous, and more hilarious – the page where Walter tries to impress […]

“…loving Blackness enough to see its assets so that dark children matter.” Dr. Bettina L. Love

Hair Story by NoNieqa Ramos

by Leave a Comment

I’m having a hard time explaining just how much I loved this book, but I’m going to do my best. First off, Hair Story is own voices written & illustrated, and both the author, NoNieqa Ramos, and the illustrator, Keisha Morris, include their own hair stories at the back of the book, which was a lovely surprise.     Second, do you see these illustrations? The texture and colors and patterns and perfection of them?  You can see the love in that grandmother’s face, the joy in […]

There’s space for more than one friendly ghost

Gilbert the Ghost by Guido Van Genechten

by Leave a Comment

Just in time to grab for your littles for spooky season -> Gilbert is an adorable ghost, who doesn’t really know how to ‘ghost’. And when he tries to learn, he just can’t get it right. And he… kind of doesn’t want to be spooky and scary and learn to shout BOOOO and haunt people & places. So when Gilbert is exiled to the abandoned tower, instead of learning to be scary in isolation, he instead makes a kitty cat friend named Meow, cleans and […]

Charming picture book about a night time library for animals

The Midnight Library by Kazuno Kohara

by Leave a Comment

My mom is continually sending our family books, despite my insistence our bookshelves are overflowing!  For Christmas she sent The Midnight Library and though it is aimed at children younger than my own, she knew what she was doing because the 13 and 9 year old were both charmed by the story. The Midnight Library is a love letter to librarians, libraries, and the purpose they serve in the community.  The titular library opens at midnight and closes at dawn.  It is run by a little […]

The reviews I forgot to post, part 4!

Here Comes the Night by Rob Jones

by Leave a Comment

This picture book features a young black boy and the dreams he has at night.  There are a variety of scenes to show how varied the mind of a child can be.  The words on each page are mostly in rhyme, but sometimes it feels like the language is a bit forced sometimes.  There are other word choices that would flow better and would probably be easier to understand.  And sometimes the words are just… off.    The most notable thing about the book is […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo