admin, Author at Daddy Mojo

It’s Almost Time for Halloween! is a seasonally silly book for kids

Here’s an ode to cute illustrated books of Halloween. These are the kid-friendly books that are heavy on illustrations. The book’s pages are glossy and the cover has embossed characters, letters, or both. These features help drive home the book’s movement and tactile enjoyment for young hands. It’s those ages who get more out of touching than they do sitting. It’s Almost Time for Halloween! is the silly sort of seasonal selection that exists to make kids fall in love with the idea of reading a book.

Pre-K through 3rd grade kids laughing? check.

Pocket Bear is go-to, early-chapter book magic for ages 7-12

Pocket Bear has a style and spirit that will easily tap into kids in early elementary school. Those kids who are already reading will feel accomplished because of its short chapters. The slightly older kids, say those in third through fifth grade will feel encouraged that they’re able to read a real book. By ‘real book’ they’ll mean a chapter book with very few, if any, illustrations. Everyone, even you adults who might read Pocket Bear aloud to young audiences, will quickly fall prey to its cuteness and the age-appropriate action.

Pocket Bear is by Katherine Applegate, a go-to author who again is able to tap into a story that will charm elementary ages in the best of ways.

Resistance is futile to Pocket Bear

Aggie and the Ghost, illustrated book gold for ages three and up

Children are not stupid. When they see illustrated books they’re able to tell the simpler ones from those that entertain at a more cerebral level. And just because something is not at a stupid level doesn’t mean that it’s relegated to the tucked-away lands of fancy pants books. There’s a place where clever, sublime illustrated books live. Those who have an old-soul, new-world sensibilities, intelligence and a timeless characteristic that allows the book to feel ‘new’, regardless of when it comes out. Matthew Forsythe lives there and turns out hauntingly charming illustrated books that are as endearing as they are creepy and weird. Aggie and the Ghost joins Pokko and the Drum, and Mina for a hat trick of illustrated book storytelling magic.

Aggie and the Ghost makes Matthew Forsythe 3-for-3 when it comes to illustrated books that are an instant classic.

This aint no New Coke, this is a new classic yo

The Dragon Con Family is a name we had heard, and it rings true for anyone

The Dragon Con family. It’s a strange thing referring to a major fan convention of 75,000+ as ‘family’, but it’s not an inaccurate title. This was the first year I consciously heard the phrase, but it’s highly likely that it was used around me over the past 15 years. Dragon Con, in and of itself, is a unique thing to experience and comprehend. It’s a massive celebration of pop culture that happens over Labor Day in Atlanta.

What to expect from Dragon Con? What’s not to expect from Dragon Con? After 15 years it better each time.

Fear not the Dragon Con-and don’t expect any dragons

Night Night Tyrannosaurus, board book cutes with big-kid STEM

Back in my day board books were just about caterpillars, shapes and colors. Babies, crawlers and toddlers have it so good today. Night Night Tyrannosaurus and Night Night Ladybug are board books that swim with today’s books for young demographics. Tyrannosaurus and Ladybug each have a different focus, with one being on shapes and the other on colors. It has the mandatory aspects of education, but wraps it in the pleasantries of dinosaurs or insects. My four-year-old self describes this as a win/win when it comes to board books.

Night Night Tyrannosaurus is a board book that uses some go-to elements for toddlers and crawlers, but adds a little STEM.

Night night toddlers, hello Stem curiosity

All The Hulk Feels happily lives at the comic and illustrated book nexus

The Incredible Hulk is one of our top three superheroes. It’s the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tale, but with radiation and a couple of Avengers for good measure. All The Hulk Feels is an illustrated book. It’s an illustrated book that, through its paneled presentation, has the feel of a comic book. A comic book story a little sillier than one that you’d find on New Comic Book Day, but is equally, if not more entertaining.

All The Hulk Feels, A Mighty Marvel Comics Picture Book, creates a new sub-genre of reading for ages four and up.

Hulk not smash this book

The Conjuring: Last Rites is fan service for the Warren faithful, that’s it

If this were a vampire movie you could say that it’s a little long in the tooth. However, this is a horror film, but it’s the fourth one in a character-based franchise that has a steady track record. The Conjuring: Last Rites has a couple of nice atmospheric scares, some cheap jump scares and a truck load of nostalgia. The film is also a victim of The Conjuring Universe. These movies want to have their cake and eat it too. It’s the ‘based on a true story’ label that only four of the nine films under its umbrella can rightfully claim. Fans of the franchise will welcome Last Rites, but horror movie fans would’ve seen it all before.

The Conjuring: Last Rites is the fourth film in the series and it feels like it. The movie is too long and relies on sentimentality, rather than atmospheric scares.

Bring outcha dead, bring outcha dead…..

Iron Man: Something Strange is fun for young readers in elementary school

When I was a teenager I loved the Marvel Team-Up comic books. Spoiler alert: I still love those comic books. It’s the thought of one cool superhero who might be slightly antagonistic, temporarily partnering with another one with complementary powers or an opposing personality. Iron Man: Something Strange is the young reader, graphic novel equivalent of those comic books. It’s the fourth in A Mighty Marvel Team-Up book series that seemingly has the goal of making reading fun and approachable to grades two through five.

Iron Man: Something Strange is the all-age graphic novel that your seven-year-old self desperately wanted. This is great fun for early elementary school ages.

Iron Man and Doctor Strange-yes please