Children's book reviews, all age comic books, Kidlit, mglit, movies, entertainment and parenting
Author: Daddy Mojo
Daddy Mojo is a blog written by Trey Burley, a stay at home dad, fanboy, husband and father. At Daddy Mojo we'll chat about home improvement, giveaways, family, children and poop culture. You can find out more about us at http://about.me/TreyBurley
A children’s illustrated book can be a simple thing. They can also attempt to convey complex matters. It’s really rare to have an illustrated book tackle life. It was done a couple of years ago with One Day A Dot, a book that distills the universe in a STEM-happy way for young children to understand. This Thing Called Life by Christian Borstlap addresses the same grand scale of life, but does it in a simpler way, via timeless graphics, simple-yet realistic text, a sense of humor, and a side vibe of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
Generation Brave wants to be loved. In this case, it’s also a book that wants to be loved. If it’s a loose happy, compilation of young people who are out to change the world then Generation Brave, The Gen Z Kids Who Are Changing the World may not be your scene. To the book’s credit, it doesn’t hide its activism. It clearly states upfront, just in case any middle school or older reader is unfamiliar with the people being highlighted, that these people are opinionated and not afraid to stand up to authority. Cue that song by John Mellencamp in 3, 2, 1. If you’re an activist young person on the left side of the aisle then this book is preaching to you. It’s loaded with mainly liberal young voices or organizations who are very passionate about what they believe. Because of that, the book will be a guidebook for those who speak truth to power and a book full of tripe talking points to the other half.
A nice, simple book that’s perfect for emerging readers is a tough thing to find. The chapters could be too short, or too long. The characters could be too juvenile, or just a bit too old for elementary readers. In short, it’s a very narrow line that books need to traverse if they’re targeting grades two through four. Our eight-year-old is right in this struggle. He can read sentences and is building vocabulary, but hasn’t made the jump to chapter books yet. Big Foot and Little Foot is a book series that’s tailor-made for this dapper young man.
This week in all age comic books is a little light, but still has a couple of great new comic books and graphic novels that’ll be great for upper elementary school and up. If you’ve got an elementary-aged reader of any age then Peanut, Butter & Crackers: Puppy Problems is just the sort of funny bone ammunition that will affect ages four through eight. Crackers and Butter have the house to themselves, but when a hyper puppy enters the house they know that it’s time to get serious. Readers, on the contrary, will find themselves laughing at this graphic novel for elementary-aged readers.
In all age comic books check out a new mini-series starring Spider-Man, it’s the Sins of Norman Osborn and the first issue is out this week. There are also some great Jim Henson releases, Dark Crystal Resistance and Labyrinth Coronation Volume 2 is perfect for those slightly older kids who want classic, well-crafted, fantasy. The monthly release of Sonic the Hedgehog #31 is out and this series is a must-read for grades 2 and up. It’s funny, quickly paced, and never disappoints. For the entire list this week just read on past the graphic.
As a family, we are knee-deep in the struggles of getting an elementary-aged student to learn to love reading. One series that he does enjoy is the Diary of a 5th Grade Outlaw series by Gina Loveless with illustrations by Andrea Bell. The third book in the series is Who is the Bucks Bandit? and it feels very different than the first two. Elementary-aged students who are already enjoying the series will gamely follow along. However, those passive readers who were reading the book just to placate their parents will feel like they’ve been here before. The result will leave librarians and parents of those younger kids who are coming into the series hoping that the fourth book in the Diary of a 5th Grade Outlaw series finds its mojo again.
Teen Titans GO! is easily one of the favorite television shows in our house and has been for the past two years. Our boys are eight and ten now and I suspect that this show will still be in their queue for the next three years. Moreover, the show is incredibly smart and displays a very high level of humor, all the while making fun of how dumb it can be in certain moments. For us, the show rivals The Simpsons in its intelligence and laughs per minute. Similar to that show, it had a comic book element that was equally as fabulous. Unlike Homer’s vehicle, Robin and his crew continue to have new adventures, and the first one of these, Teen Titans GO! To Camp! is out and is everything that fans of the show enjoy and want.
One’s appreciation of a subject matter isn’t relevant to their ability to discern the quality in it. For example, you don’t have to personally enjoy a genre of music to be aware that there is some talent that goes into making it. I am that way with sports. My knowledge of football specifically is limited to what could be written on the back of a postage stamp. Gridiron, Stories From 100 Years of the National Football League is an oversized book that is perfectly aimed at me, plus any middle-school student who happens to enjoy football or the drama of sports.
I love it when the second book in a series surpasses the first one. It doesn’t even have to go all “Empire Strikes Back” and be leagues better than its predecessor. For us, just the fact that it’s better means that the series has lots of gas left in the tank. The Derby Daredevils: Kenzie Kickstarts a Team set up the story about a group of girls teaming up to create a roller derby team. That was a middle-grade book that mainly girls will enjoy that had a variety of positive, diverse themes. The Derby Daredevils: Shelly Struggles to Shine takes that storyline and delivers a J-block to the other teams lead jammer.
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube