Month: June 2019

The Bad Guys, The Big Bad Wolf will have elementary readers jumping

Our 9 year old is a hanger on to The Bad Guys and we are 100% OK with that. He’s going into fourth grade and has been reading The Bad Guys since the end of first grade. In real world time I know that‘s not a long time, but through the eyes of a kid’s library it can be an eternity. Two years ago he wouldn’t have dreamed of reading the stuff that he’s reading now. These books have no pictures, chapters that are more than a dozen pages long and might even mention the subject of boys and girls ‘liking’ each other.

The bad guys, the bad guys the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf, elementary school, aaron blabey

The ninth book in The Bad Guys series of books from Scholastic is called The Bad Guys in The Big Bad Wolf. Each book in this series has our title characters in such elementary school adventures as in…The Furball Strikes Back, in Attack of the Zittens, in Do-You-Think-He-Saurus and other books that your kids aged five and older have already read. When you visit an elementary school library ask where their copies of any books featuring The Bad Guys are. You’ll see a handful of beaten up, dog-eared books with yellowed pages that most likely have some degree of little hand prints all of them. These books have been loved, read, re-read and had their spine tapped several times in order to extend their life span.

Our 9 year-old has been counting the days until The Big Bad Wolf was released. We got to the store and saw a couple of older books by Aaron Blabey on the shelf, but no sight of the new one. At first he was dejected and looked like he might cry. He was certain, absolutely positive that it was hitting stores on this day. I suggested that he ask a person at the store where the book is. This is an important leap of faith for him because he’s not one to ask questions to people that he doesn’t know.

 However, as we were buying some other stuff I suggest that he go to Guest Services and ask them. No sooner had I looked up then I saw his every growing flip-flop covered feet blazing a train to see where the book was. Guest Services directed us to the area where the book should’ve been, but it wasn’t. Again I suggested that he go ask someone in a red vest about the book. They checked their computer; saw that it was in the back, still in the box, but that they’d go get a copy for us.

I kid you not, our nine year-old was skipping up and down the isle with nervous energy. After a couple of minutes he grew tired of this and started to peek around the corner like he was scouting out a drive-by for a teenage girl in 10 years. “He’s got it. He’s got it!” I heard. 

For adults who need to know what the plot’s about, Mr. Wolf gets blown up to a massive sized monster and The Bad Guys need to find a way to stop him ASAP. Toss in some new friends, lots of humor, a few potty jokes, some more humor, several dashes of action and you’ll see why elementary readers will absolutely love this series. They don’t need to know the series before reading The Big Bad Wolf. Most elementary school kids will know the characters, their role in the story and are already eager to be the first ones to tell the other kids that they’ve read the new book. A bonus for parents is that The Bad Guys, Big Bad Wolf only retails for $5.99, even less if you shop around.

Kahlo’s Koalas, 1, 2, 3, Count Art with Me is board book art

Our children don’t know art per se. They’ve been to the High Museum of Art many times and know what art is, they just don’t know the key players.  I don’t even know a majority of the classic artists. I might recognize their style, but their catalog and finer points will fall between my mental sofa cushion. However, I know animals and I know to count. It’s only because of the fact that I’m an adult and have experienced pop culture that I know some of the artist referenced in this children’s board book.

Kahlo’s Koalas, 1, 2, 3 Count Art with Me stand and the intersection of art and counting board book for those crawlers through pre-K to gnaw upon.

Kahlo’s Koalas, 1, 2, 3, Count Art with Me, is a board book for those crawlers to toddlers (and the adults who are reading to them) who want to shake up the palette of their counting books. Each page has a number with its respective number of animals who are presented in the style of the artist that it’s referencing. We see 4 Matisse Monkeys, 6 Kandinsky Kangaroos, 8 Seurat Sloths and seven other counting lessons that are done whilst channeling classic artists.

I had to mention those three artists because two of them I hadn’t heard of. Even the title of the book, Kahlo’s Koalas, 1, 2, and 3 is referencing an artist and not the author of the book. The actual author of the book is Grace Helmer, a London-based illustrator who has quite the career ahead of her as a forger, should she want to go on the other side of the law.

The colors and patterns in the book are fabulous and will draw in your eyes. Factor in that Kahlo’s Koalas isn’t even intended for adults and you’ve got a book that crawlers through pre-K will gnaw on for ages. This board book was originally published by LOM ART in England last year. However, it’s not off putting or inaccessible at all. This is a counting, board book with great art that just might happen to inspire kids or parents about the masters. Kahlo’s Koalas, 1, 2, 3, Count Art with Me is available in the United States by Andrews McMeel Publishing for $8.99.

All age comic books for June 26

It’s new comic book day and there are lots of great all age comic books out this week. We also had an idea while listening to a panel at HeroesCon. The panel featured some creators who have done children’s comics or literature and was a lively chat about what young readers want, how parents can help them and obstacles that get in the way. There is not a consistent rating system for all of the comic book or graphic novel publishers, so we created one.

LE: Lower elementary readers will enjoy this book, those are ages 4-8. It’ll have simple concepts, drawings or ideals that most likely won’t demo up to those upper elementary aged kids.

UE: Upper elementary readers are those who are 9 and up. These readers will enjoy a little more action, can handle lots more reading and want to be in with the cool kids.

E: Elementary is the type of book that covers any age that’s in elementary school. These are the go-to elementary reads like Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes, Marvel Action, Teen Titans Go!, Captain Underpants, The Bad Guys and more.

M: M is for middle school, those readers that are 12 and up. These are readers that can hold their own and handle subject matter that’s more advanced than elementary school. The books that we cover here at Daddy Mojo won’t be graphic in this category, obviously, rather it’s material that is too much for younger audiences, but just right for those in middle school.

H: H is for high school and you won’t see much of that here. Occasionally we’ll cover a hidden gem that is for those older audiences, but that will be the exception.

This week in the podcast we’ll chat about The Bad Guys in The Big Bad Wolf. This is rated E (for elementary) in that it’s great for those in first grade, but those in fourth grade and older will also want to read it. Disney Afternoon Giant #5 is rated M (for middle school), not because of content, but because of the sheer amount of reading that’s required to enjoy it. Also in the podcast we’ll talks about The Bad Guys, Marvel Rising, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Descendents, Spider-Man and much more.

This week in all age comic books we present our age appropriate ratings with The Bad Guys, Marvel Rising, Spider-Man and more.
Humor Adventure-UE,M

Archie Jumbo Comics Digest-UE, M

Disney Afternoon Giant-M

Dugout-UE,M

Hotel Transylvania-E, M

My Little Pony-E

My teacher is a robot-E

Rocky & Bullwinkle-UE

Runaways- M

The Big Bad Pizza Battle- E

The Bad Guys in The Big Bad Wolf- E

Toy Story 1 & 2-UE,M

Superhero Friendly-UE, M Magnificent Ms. Marvel-UE, M Marvel Rising, E Mighty Morphin Power Rangers-UE, M Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur-UE, M Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur TPB-UE, M Spider-Man Annual-E, M Spider-Man: Reptilian Rage-M True Believers-UE, M True Believers-UE, M Action/science-fiction Descendents- E, M Diabolical summer-M, H Invader Zim-UE, M Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge-UE, M Stephen Universe-UE, M Transformers Ghostbusters-E, M Usagi Yojimbo-UE, M

Washington, D.C. from A-Z perfectly presents history to 6 and up

Do you know an elementary school reader (or older) that’s looking for a way to learn more about Washington, D.C.? Granted, that is a massive age range. We’re certainly older than elementary school, yet are utterly fascinated by Washington, D.C. from A-Z.  This book has dozens upon dozens of facts about Washington, D.C. that are presented in short paragraphs or a couple sentences. They’re complimented with realistically drawn pencil illustrations in a beautiful or in an over the top manner that really drives home what the text is teaching. The book says that it’s intended for ages 6-10, and while that’s true, it also serves as a jumping off point for more research for those older readers.

Washington, D.C. from A-Z is bite size nuggets of trivia, great art and makes anyone 6 and up curious about the topic.

A great example is that we’re planning a trip to Washington, D.C. and have been re-reading this to our 7 year-old. I found out that members of our extended family wanted to visit the statue of Albert Einstein. A. I didn’t know that there was a huge, five times life statue of him, but that. B. If you rub his nose you’re supposed to get smarter. Granted, part of that increased intelligence could be trying to successfully navigate the bronze statue up to his nose. Three points of contact does the trick nine out of ten times.

Most of the letters have a couple of facts associated with it. One of the notable exceptions is S and S is for Smithsonian. In 1829, James Smithsonian, an Englishman left half a million dollars to the city of Washington. His will, specifically stated that the money be used to increase the knowledge of men. 190 years later and the Smithsonian is one of the largest and most well known museums in the world.

It’s impossible to read Washington, D.C from A-Z without walking away with some tidbit of information. Some of those kibbles will root out and motivate people to read more about them. If you’re like our 7 year-old, then it’ll inspire a base amount of immediate curiosity-with some cool illustrations about this place that your family is going.  

This is also one of those great books to read when you visit an elementary school. Just bring the book and ask the class to provide you with a letter and then you read facts about that letter as it pertains to Washington, D.C. That’s one of our favorite activities to do when we’re the mystery reader and if you time this as to when they’re learning about our nation’s capital it’s win/win.

My Fourth of July encapsulates what the day is like to a child

I teach ESL online and some of the lessons I teach are about holidays. My Fourth of July is an illustrated book by Newbery Medal Winner, Jerry Spinelli with illustrations by Larry Day. Trying to explain to an overseas student via an online class just what The Fourth of July is all about can be challenging. Yeah, it’s about parties, food, fireworks and family, but in the eyes of a seven year-old it’s so much more. The magic of My Fourth of July is that it captures the manic energy, expectations and variety that exemplify the Fourth of July as it’s experienced through the eyes of an elementary school aged child.

My Fourth of July steps into the soul of a 7 year-old and owns it on this American holiday. What’s the Fourth of July like to a child? Just read this.

The pacing of the book and the layout of the drawings is a huge reason why the book makes such a great read for this age. When the book starts the illustrations are corner to corner color, with the town having their parade and getting ready for the day. After that, things calm down and the colors focus on our main character, a 7 year-old boy who is getting ready for the day with his family.  The pictures have him as the focal point of each page, with lots of white space on the pages. This effect helps establish the low key morning that any family experiences during the morning.

As late afternoon rolls around the pages are swallowed up by more colors and action. The masses gather at the baseball field for cookouts and shows until the child eventually starts to get sleepy. Hang in there, because the fireworks are bound to start any second.  The art will remind parents of Norman Rockwell, yet this display of the Fourth of July happens in modern times. When in doubt, look for the adults on their cell phones, they can be seen in the book on a page or two.

My Fourth of July has a classic feel about it because the happenings and activities that small communities do on this day are still relatively the same. There’s a parade in the morning, activities at various places and fireworks someplace at night. As a book, elementary school readers will enjoy it because they’ll be able to relate to something on every page. If they like the face painter then they’ll have a fond memory of that on one page. The local bands is shown, the classic wagon that kids will be pulled in also has several pages devoted to it.

The text in My Fourth of July is such that third graders and up will be able to fluently read it. Those readers who are younger will know all of the sight words, learn a couple new phrases and remember last year’s Fourth when they did something similar to what happened in the book.  My Fourth of July retails for $18.99 and is Neal Porter Books and Holiday House Publishing, Inc.

Toy Story 4 is a grace under pressure classic for this generation

If the pressure exerted upon Toy Story 4 could be reproduced and sold in the form of a mineral it would be the largest and most valuable diamond ever….until the next Toy Story in 2028.Rare is the movie franchise that can produce a string of highly enjoyable, commercially successful and critically successful film past the third one. Think of a franchise that’s had more than three films in a row that have knocked it out of the park. While the series has maintained or kept going on, like Harry Potter, a film within the MCU or James Bond, there have been peaks and valleys that mar any series. Toy Story 4 bucks the trend and is pure cinematic joy. It’s neither too sentimental, sappy or nostalgic; rather, it acknowledges the history that it brings to the screen gleefully embraces it and then runs in a new direction.

Toy story, toy story, sneak preview, toy story 4 sneak preview, Atlanta sneak preview, Atlantic Station

What is that?, was almost certainly the thought when you first saw Forky. Toy Story 4 presents the home made toy that every kid has and establishes itself in the pantheon of classic toys we’ve all had. I still have a toy that I made as a child. It’s a crude block of clay with four stumps that barely resemble legs, a slightly bigger clump that might be its head and an odd twig of clay for a tail. This was no classic toy, but for a season of my childhood it held rank over G.I. Joe and the simple box of red, white and blue LEGO blocks that were in my closet.

What Toy Story 4 does so well is letting audiences think that they know what the film will be about, but then faking them out with plot shifts and pacing. Everything that you’ve seen in the trailer does happen, but not in the logical order that your mind thinks that it will be.

Running in tandem to the excellent script is the addition of some key new characters that really add to the film. Duke Caboom, Bunny, Ducky and Forky add to the movie in such a way the we don’t really miss Buzz and Woody when they aren’t on screen. Then, when either of them does come back on screen they manage to propel the movie even more forward, not that it was ever at a standstill.

Toy Story 4 goes from great, to good, to excellent and beyond. It’s filled with so much joy and happiness that audiences won’t want it to end. Our 9 year-old has seen dozens, perhaps 100+ movies and I have never heard him laugh as consistently as he did in Toy Story 4. There was one particular sequence that stars Bunny and Ducky that will have the entire theater howling with laughter.

The screening we attended of Toy Story was made up of about 65% adults and 35% children. This is one of those films where the older attendees are ones who attended one of the previous Toy Story films as a child. Like a child’s version of James Bond, this is a franchise that can exist for generations. Similar to a child’s fascination of the refrigerator light and if it stays on when the door is shut, they wonder and want to imagine a world where their toys come to life.

From a marketing perspective Toy Story 4 is meta and easy to buy into. There are Duke Caboom toys that look exactly like the Evil Kenevil toys I had as a kid. There’s a Little Bo Peep cane that’s a much of an action saber as a sheep wrangler. This is a story that has managed to make a cowboy cool again and does it with charm. Moreover, it does it while maintaining a G rating. This is a G rated film that anyone will love and audiences can only hope that Disney takes another nine year of craft before another one comes out. Then, our high school senior will probably see Toy Story 5 and enjoy it as much as he did Toy Story 4.

All age comic books for June 19

Another new comic book day is upon us and this week has three of the go-to all age comic books. You can pick up any issue of these comic books and it’ll be entertaining (and appropriate!) for elementary aged readers and older. Over in the podcast we’ll chat about Rainbow Brite, Snow White, Scooby Doo and a couple others. For the record: the three go-to comic books that are out this week are Lumberjanes, Scooby Doo Where Are You? and Marvel Action Spider-Man TPB, Vol 1-A New Beginning. Now let’s look at three all age comic books that those in elementary school and older will enjoy.

Disney Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

This Snow White mini-series is for the fans. It’s from Dark Horse Comics and tells the familiar story of Snow, but from her perspective. This is 32 pages of gorgeous art with a story that folks know, but from a slightly different angle. It’s a comic book that those in upper elementary school and older will enjoy mainly due to the vocabulary. This is jammed with lots of words that those younger than 8 might not have the patience to read with their abilities. They’ll love the art and the story, but reading it on their own will be challenging.

Usagi Yojimbo, #1

Usagi!!! Usagi Yojimbo is one of the best all age comic books on the market. This is a reprinted mini-series from our favorite ronin rabbit warrior, but this time he’s in color! It’s a beautiful comic book that will entertain kids in elementary school and up. The violence, albeit with a rabbit ronin warrior, might be too much for those early elementary readers. It shows some mild ninja type, sword violence, but it’s more likely the reading that’ll scare away kids. This isn’t a word heavy comic book, but you do need to be able to read in order to really enjoy it. Ages 9 and up who like action, sword play, ninjas and a great story should check out Usagi Yojimbo.

Rainbow Brite, TPB

Friendship, action, color, a decided lack of color, friendship and curiosity are the keys to Rainbow Brite. This trade paperback from Dynamite Entertainment will enthrall girl readers aged 8 and up. Someone is stealing all of the color and it’s up to a normal girl to discover her super self to save things from becoming a pale shade of white.

Usagi, usagi yojimbo, rainbow brite, marvel, marvel action, spider man, spider-man, Scooby doo, snow white, comic books, all age comic books, new comic book day
Humor Superhero Action/Science-fiction

All age comic books for June 12

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It’s new comic book day and that means that some cool new all age comic books are out also. As we’ve previously discussed, some of these comic books are good for middle schoolers, while some will be great for early elementary ages. Use your judgment, ask the person at the comic books store or tweet us @daddymojo for specific questions. We also go over some of the comic books in greater detail on the podcast. Speaking of which, this week we’re talking about Disney Incredibles (and Comics), Star Trek Vs. Transformers, Goosebumps 2, Jim Henson Sirens and more. Here though, are three great comic books for ages as young as 7.

Marvel Action Spider-Man #5

Kraven the Hunter is enough to bring us into a Spider-Man comic book. Marvel Action Spider-Man from IDW Publishing is a beast unto its own. This monthly comic book is flat out awesome for ages 7 and up. It has the action that those ages want, the content that makes it OK for parents to approve and manages to do it all so that it doesn’t love street cred with the middle school kids. Even better, this all age comic book has Miles Morales, Spider-Man and Spider Gwen in the same book.

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #45

We’ve always thought of Unbeatable Squirrel as a middle school companion to Deadpool. She’s a superhero, but left of center and this monthly comic book perfectly captures the superhero world. Granted this superhero has the powers of a squirrel and is a teen. This is not the battle, superhero stuff that will appeal to traditional MCU people, most likely. In this comic book, we have a fabulous story with great art that sometimes joins the Marvel Comics story arch. Issue #45 is a War of the Realms tie-in and it doesn’t matter if you’re following that summer story. Unbeatable Squirrel Girl entertains audiences in upper elementary school and up who are looking for fun, wrapped in great story with jamming art.

Plants Vs. Zombies, Volume 13, Snow Thanks

Plants Vs. Zombies is in a tie for THE intellectual property that our nine year-old loves now. He started playing the video game, but gave up playing that and now goes absolutely mental for these comic books or graphic novels. The monthly comic books stopped a couple of years ago. Thankfully, true to their word, they’ve been producing new, original graphic novels that have that Zomboss spirit. This graphic novel series is great for kids 8 and up who want humor, action and just a dose of age appropriate zombie.

Humor
Superhero Action/science-fiction

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