admin, Author at Daddy Mojo

Quentin Blake’s Fantastic Journey, a beautiful trip to imagination via art

I know Quentin Blake’s illustrations; they were in Mad Magazine. No, they were in some other, more trendy and mature magazine that I can’t remember. Blake’s drawings resonate with audiences for those reasons and more. They have the friendly and affable demeanor of something whimsical and appealing to children, yet operating at a higher, more complex level too. Quentin Blake’s Fantastic Journeys lives somewhere between the world of wordless book, cartoon book, sketches for a Redbull commercial, Sergio Aragones compilation and illustrations from a Roald Dahl book that you forgot the name of.

Quentin Blake’s Fantastic Journey features new art from the classic illustrator that’s not burdened by the small space of a book cover.

Wordless art that tells a limitless story

The Six Queens of Henry VIII, non-fiction content that sticks in your head

Herman’s Hermits did more for Henry VIII than most North American schools. I just asked a group of 25 high school juniors if they knew who Henry VII was, and two students raised their hands. They knew that he had many wives, but incorrectly said that he killed all of them. To be fair, when I was a child, if a teacher had said Henry VIII we would’ve echoed it with, Herery the eighth I am, I am. Set against this backdrop is what makes The Six Queens of Henry VIII all the more remarkable. It’s an illustrated book with graphic novel element that manages to entertain audiences in equal measure to its education.

The Six Queens of Henry VIII uses varied art and succinct text to make a non-fiction book on British royalty that’s effortless to enjoy.

hIS WIVES AND hENRY vii MEET STORYTELLING TARGETED AT MIDDLE SCHOOL AND UP

Ma: The Japanese Secret to Contemplation and Calm, 18 essays on pausing life

Tsundoku is the Japanese word for buying or collecting books, intending to read them later. In the meantime, they form paper based, scaled down mountains that range in colors and thickness. I use that word as more of an activity, or something I do, rather than an affliction. Ma is a much more subtle Japanese word. It can mean ‘negative space’, untapped potential, or any pause in life that you intentionally do. Ma: The Japanese Secret to Contemplation and Calm is a collection of 18 essays and photographs about the concept of what isn’t there.

Ma: The Japanese Secret to Contemplation and Calm: An Invitation to Awareness is 18 essays on intentional pauses, negative space, and stillness to makes action more powerful.

Essays that will help you see what isn’t there

What’s For Dinner? twists the wolf in forest story with dry humor and art

The personification on the cover of What’s For Dinner? drives its interest. The morbid curiosity of what could possibly happen helps also. The rabbit is so lightweight that it’s fluttering around like a kite in the wind. The wolf, who is carrying the rabbit by the hand, has a row of white, razor-sharp teeth. In his other hand, there’s a sheet of paper, probably a recipe for how to cook dinner. It’s a moonlit night, and the question of What’s For Dinner? can’t possibly be the long-eared critter. They also look so friendly that they could be my neighbor.

What’s For Dinner? takes the wolf in forest, adds more humor, fish out of water sensibilities, cartoon-detailed art and a side order of cute.

a wolf with teeth, a story with bite

Call Me Moby, big art for a whale of a tale in this very funny story

Call Me Moby was entirely unexpected. It has allusions to a story that most high school students won’t read, yet its inspiration is from a classic book. The illustrations in Call Me Moby don’t care about any of that. Its playful cover, with a massive, friendly white whale jumping over a tiny ship, will bring in young audiences as if they were a hungry bass looking at a bloodworm dangling from a hook.

Call Me Moby, an illustrated allusion on the most famous whale in literature, uses big, happy art and succinct text to tell a tale about being yourself.

Call Me Moby, the illustrated book, through a funny, allusion-filled lens

Kitty Caterpillar’s art turns a cute tale into a great illustrated book

Silly illustrated books need an ending that simultaneously makes young children roll their eyes and yearn for more. Kitty Caterpillar got that memo. This is an illustrated book about a cat with too many legs, her misadventures when curiosity gets the better of her and her short, but eventful quest to find her early elementary school human best friend. Kitty Caterpillar has illustrations that bring home the bacon. When kids engage with the book, they’ll giggle at the story, but be enthralled with the art.

Kitty Caterpillar, an illustrated book whose art makes it better, faster and funnier than you’re expecting

come for the cat, stay for the art

The GPB PBS KIDS Writers Contest is live-apply now

When I was in elementary school I entered a regional writing contest. All of the regional winners were published in a book with a forest green cover that my family kept in their magazine rack for decades. Georgia Public Broadcasting is having their annual PBS KIDS Writers Contest. It’s open for kindergarten through third grade and kids can write fiction, non-fiction, poetry or a graphic novel.

Do you have a child or student in kindergarten through third grade that loves to write? The GPB PBS KIDS Writers Contest is live.

Kids K through third grade unite!

City Spies: Europa keeps the streak going as a go-to book in mglit

City Spies is seven? How is it that this go-to middle school series is seven books in and there hasn’t been a movie yet? The City Spies book series is mglit gold and the kind of books your adult self wishes existed back in the 80’s, 90’s, naughties or aughts, depending on where you’re from. Every book that we’ve read from the City Spies series is constant like gravity. They’re easy, breezy and one step away from being a CoverGirl, but this is a team joint. City Spies: Europa got the memo and author James Ponti is holding course. It set sail for age-appropriate action and intrigue to those in grades three through seven.

City Spies: Europa, or City Spies 7, maintains the twists, characters, arm chair travel, action and espionage that mglit readers want.

City spies 7 got the memo