Daddy Mojo, Author at Daddy Mojo

Win passes to the Instant Family sneak preview in Atlanta

The other week we had the opportunity to interview Sean Anders, the director of Instant Family. Instant Family is a true story; it’s actually his true story of how he and his wife decided to adopt children. Actually, they decided to adopt three children, all at once. The movie looks funny and something that families can immediately relate to or for anybody that has children or any familiarity with the foster care system.

Instant Family was filmed in Atlanta. I remember seeing the signs for filming locations around certain neighborhoods and hearing the extra casting calls from some friends of mine who do production. While it’s the true story of one family’s decision to adopt, the film is not preachy and brings the humor and fun that kids bring-while not glossing over the difficulties that raising any child can present. It’s a delicate balance that was accomplished by weaving in conversations that Anders and other newly adopted foster families had in real life.

Win passes to the #InstantFamily sneak preview in #Atlanta on Monday, November 12 from @Daddymojo https://t.co/Iu5Sob1sE7 pic.twitter.com/6qNQdwVb31

— Daddy Mojo (@Daddymojo) November 8, 2018

The Atlanta sneak preview of Instant Family is Monday, November 12 at 7PM. If you want to go just tweet this out and the first 20 folks will get a pair of tickets to the show. You can also email us at trey@daddymojo.net and we’ll reply back with a magic code that will link you to tickets.

Instant Family is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, mild sexual material, language and drug references. In our opinion the film is OK for 9 year-olds, but that’s us.

Fangsgiving continues the monster pun fun for all

Ethan Long is onto something. We were fans of Fright Club. We enjoyed Valensteins even more and with Fangsgiving it’s like we’re welcoming a friend back into the fold again. The titular character, Vlad is back with his monster friends for Thanksgiving. They’re happily planning a low key Thanksgiving when his family unexpectedly pulls up. The chaos and frustration that ensue at Vlad’s house is akin to the stories and feelings that you probably associate to your Thanksgivings as well.

Family and Thanksgiving do go hand in hand and this monster tale is great to read for several reasons. The first is that I’ve grown to enjoy reading and seeing Mumford (the mummy), Sandy (the witch), Fran (Frankenstein) and Virginia (the Wolfman). Each character has their own personality and elementary school kids will grin from ear to ear while they read the book. The text in Fangsgiving is large and such that third graders will be able to read the book with ease. Kindergarten kids will be able to make out some of the sight words and really enjoy looking at the illustrations.

Secondly, this is a story that parents will relate to at some level. While they might not have unexpected visitors on Thanksgiving they will relate to the back seat driving as they prepare the big meal. Sure enough, Vlad’s family offers up their own ‘improvements’ to each aspect of the meal. Just as in real life, those ‘improvements’ only serve to ruin or delay the meal, which makes nobody happy.

Kids will especially enjoy the monster ingredient additions like baboon burps, snail spit and more that provides just enough gross-out humor to hook in those reluctant reader boys.

As with most family occasions Vlad manages to get his family and his friends on the same page. That’s the punch line for the book, which is just like your family. It might not be what some had envisioned, but it all works out and it’s never as bad as your worst case scenario.

Sleepy, the Goodnight Buddy-a great good-night book

Sleepy, the Goodnight Buddy absolutely nails the frustration and love that can come from putting a child to bed. Some nights it’s cute if they try ploys to delay the inevitable. Other times you’ll need them get horizontal ASAP due to the work that you need to accomplish or their questionable behavior. Sleepy, the Goodnight Buddy is an illustrated book that is a joy to read and look at for children aged 3 and up.

Continue reading Sleepy, the Goodnight Buddy-a great good-night book

All age comic books for November 7

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Happy NCBD and this week has some great ones that will entertain all age comic book readers as young as 6. That is mainly due to one classic comic book about ponies, who are little, live in Equestria and can fly, we’re looking at you My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Over on Youtube and in the podcast we’ll chat about Peanuts, Tiger vs. Nightmare, Steven Universe and more. Now let’s look at three comic books that will entertain a wide variety of readers in upper elementary school and up.

Doctor Who 13th, #1

The new doctor, Doctor Who, the 13^th Doctor, that’s who. Doctor Who 13^th, #1 is out and it’s the all new doc played by Jodie Whittaker. Some things are the same, but she’s got three new traveling companions and the TARDIS is still most certainly bigger on the inside. The content will be OK with upper elementary school kids, but might require too much reading and focus for some of them.

Ducktales, #14

Sometimes Disney’s Ducktales on IDW Publishing enter into a two-part story and this is the first part of one. Kids love Disney with a little more ‘edge’ and that’s exactly what Ducktales allows them. Younger readers will be attracted to the content-and it is OK for them to consume. However, the reading and vocabulary that’s required to fully enjoy Ducktales will be too much for those who aren’t in third grade to enjoy on their own.

Steven Universe Harmony #4

This past Halloween a couple of the really cool kids dressed as characters from Steven Universe. Steven Universe Harmony is a mini-series set in the Steven Universe world that’s worth exploring if you’re a fan of the Crystal Gems. This is a great television series (from Cartoon Network) and comic book from Boom! Studios. The content is OK for upper elementary school kids, but they might not appreciate it as much as they would if they were two grades older.

Humor

Superhero

Action/science-fiction

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, a mixed-up bag of coal

Why does this film have two directors? I wondered as the credits rolled in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms started. By the middle of the film I was wondering how much worse the film could’ve been had it not actually had two directors. Much like any number of recent films (Solo, The Last Jedi, JLA) that have had integral people behind the scenes replaced; the result is a jumbled mess that’s barely entertaining and leave you wondering how this all came about.

Continue reading The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, a mixed-up bag of coal

Mon Petit Busy Day, a huge board book that deserves more

Board books are awesome. Having said that, not all board books are created equal and determining if it’s the right one for your little soon-to-be reader requires some thought. Is the content too simple, are the pages too busy, are the pages too small or are the interactive features in the board book not sturdy enough? Mon Petit Busy Day is an oversized board book by Annette Tamarkin on Little Simon that has a lot going for it, but might fall between the cracks for other parents too.

Continue reading Mon Petit Busy Day, a huge board book that deserves more

All age comic books for October 31

There is some delicious irony in having NCBD on Halloween. That means the week’s new all age comic books will be out on Halloween, so the kids will have to get to the store after school or postpone their visit until November 1. This week features a greater than normal number of books that will immediately hit elementary school kids in their wallet. There are also a couple of great comic books that will appeal (and be appropriate!) for readers as young as 6 years old! Really, check them out, dig into the podcast or Youtube version of this for more visual or audio fun.

Star Wars Adventures #15

If you have a reader who is 6 years or older and likes reading (or looking at cool) science-fiction then Star Wars Adventures is where you need to be. This is a monthly comic book from IDW Publishing that has everything a reader of that age expects from Star Wars, minus the Imperial back story and drama that slows down the films. Each issue has two stories. One story is more action-centric with characters that you’ll know and the other, much shorter story is funny and very light hearted.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Meltdown

Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Meltdown arrives in stores this week. This is the 13^th book in this franchise behemoth from Jeff Kinney. Third graders and up will be chomping at the bit to buy this at their Scholastic Book Fair or ASAP from their local store.

Tangled Hair Raising Adventures #2

Tangled Hair Raising Adventures is a mini-series by IDW Publishing that sticks to the Rapunzel script and audiences love it. If you have a Disney fan who liked the film or a reluctant reader who liked that film have them check out this comic book. This is issue #2 of a three-issue mini-series. They can jump in now and look for the first issue or check out the complete trade paper back when all three are released in a month or two.

Humor

Superhero

Action/Science-fiction

All age comic books for October 24

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Comics! Over in the podcast we’ll talk about Blastosaurus, Foxtrot, Scooby and more. For now though let’s look at three nice all age comic books (or graphic novels…) that will interest readers in elementary school and up.

Phoebe and Her Unicorn in Unicorn Theater

The odds are strong that your elementary school student knows Phoebe and Her Unicorn. Most of the time Phoebe is in comic strip form, with the individual three or four panel strips telling the story. Phoebe and Her Unicorn in Unicorn Theater is the second graphic novel from Dana Simpson. The difference is that this story featuring Phoebe and Her Unicorn is encapsulated. Unicorn Theater is an original graphic novel and if you don’t know Phoebe she’s worth getting to know as anybody will relate to her.

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is a great monthly comic book from Marvel Comics. Ignore the T rating on this comic book and let it loose one those readers who are 8 and up. This is great monster, dinosaur fun with a side dose of middle school drama.

Star Wars Tales From Vader’s Castle

Star Wars Adventures with a sprinkling of all age horror? Count us in for this mini-series that’s happening this month only. Jump in now for issue #4, catch the final issue next week or the graphic novel when they’re all collected and readers who are 8 and up will love them.

Humor

Superhero

Action/Science-fiction