Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A (not so humble) brag: This 2025 book has made my 10th Cannonball.

Stalactite & Stalagmite: A Big Tale from a Little Cave by Drew Beckmeyer

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I did not think Stalactite & Stalagmite: A Big Tale from a Little Cave was going to be interesting when I first saw the cover (though it is due in March of 2025, I was able to have an online reader copy.) Being overly cute and cartoonish, I was eh… but also thought that I should not judge a book by its cover and give Drew Beckmeyer’s book a chance. And I’m glad I did, and you should too. I recommend going to your local […]

Nostalgic Earworms Ahead!

Skinnamarink by Sharon, Lois & Bram w/Randi Hampson; Ill by Qin Leng

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My memories of childhood are exceptionally vivid: I probably can’t tell you if I ate breakfast or not, but if you want to know who I sat next to in third grade, or every phone number of anybody I was friends with before I went to college, I got you. I only mention this because Sharon, Lois, & Bram feature heavily in my memories from about age 5 till about 10, and they made such an impact that some things, like the beloved-in-our-house “Skimmarink” song, […]

So far behind.

Wheels No Wheels by Shannon McNeill

My Lala by Thomas King, Ill by Charlene Chua

Baby Squeaks by Anne Hunter

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Guys, you wouldn’t believe how many books I’ve read but haven’t reviewed yet this year. Particularly NetGalley books, which means I can’t request new ones, which is unacceptable. So let’s do some mental spring cleaning, & get these books reviewed.   Wheels, No Wheels by Shannon McNeill is a silly-nonsense book that I would have easily incorporated into my pre-k transportation unit lesson plans. Starts with a very simple breakdown of things like “A tractor has wheels. A llama has no wheels.” and quickly devolves […]

Wrapping up my Cannonball, while I’m wrapping up presents

Highest Mountain, Smallest Star by Kate Baker, Ill by Page Tsou

National Geographic's Rocks & Minerals Sticker Activity Book by National Geographic for Kids

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Birthday Parties, Science Projects & Other Man-Made Catastrophes by Lenore Look, Ill by LeUyen Pham

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, & Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look, Ill. by LeUyen Pham

Yum Yum Baby by Rosealee Wren, Ill by Kat Uno

Babies Love Puppies by Scarlett Wing, Ill Jessica Gibson

There's A Dragon in Your Book by Tom Fletcher, Ill by Greg Abbott

There's An Elf in Your Book by Tom Fletcher, Ill by Greg Abbott

Lego Build Christmas Fun by AMEET Publishing

My Best Friend is A Unicorn by Rachael MacLean

Science Comics: Dogs: From Predator to Protector by Andy Hirsch

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Can I help you guys finish up a little bit of your last minute book shopping, if you’re still doing some? Here’s a rundown of the books I wrapped for my niblings today, in case you’re looking for some books for the young people in your life. For my 8-yr-old, fact obsessed, recently graduated to chapter books nephew, we’ve got Highest Mountain, Smallest Star, by Kate Baker, ill by Page Tsou. With its historical scientific illustrations vibe & it’s plethora of facts, I admit it […]

Let’s spend a little of your hard-earned Christmas book buying budget on some books we wished we could have read as children.

What if, Pig? by Lizzie Hunter

Dad & The Dinosaur by Gennifer Choldenko

Captain Starfish by Davinia Bell

You've Got Dragons by Kathryn Cave

When You Are Brave by Pat Zietlow Miller

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AKA Why this week’s library haul had me in tears. There’s a lot to go over in this review, so I’m bear with me: There’s a reason these books are together like this, I promise. Dad & The Dinosaur by Gennifer Choldenko –Nicholas isn’t brave like his dad: He’s afraid of all sorts of things, like bugs, & darkness, & manhole covers.  But he has a secret weapon: A dinosaur that “likes the dark, bugs are nothing to them, and they eat manhole covers for […]

“Sylvia did reach her dream of becoming a ballerina. And it all started with one determined girl with one library book from one bookmobile.”

Ready to Fly: How Sylvia Townsend Became The Bookmobile Ballerina by Lea Lyon & A. LaFaye, Illustrations by Jessica Gibson

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We’re gonna start off today’s review by (potentially? I don’t think I’ve talked about this here before) learning a new thing about NTE: I used to be a dancer. Before my body decided that anything that required even standing was completely out of the question (so from age 3-15, basically), being a dancer was a major part of my identity. I danced five days a week – tap, ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, & pointe. Pointe was – by far – my worst class (I had […]



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