Daddy Mojo, Author at Daddy Mojo

Grandma Gatewood Hikes the Appalachian Trail, well worth the hike

The story of Grandma Gatewood is a minimalist, unassuming story that’s so sweet and inspiring it’s all but impossible to believe that it happened in 1955. However, it really did happen, anyone who reads it will come away with some degree of increased motivation and might just feel like a cream puff compared to the 67 year old grandmother. At the age when some folks intentionally drop anchor and become sedentary, she started walking and didn’t stop until she finished The Appalachian Trail.

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Backstagers and the Ghost Light will delight middle school grades

For me it was when I first saw Big that I realized that comic books were more than comic books. They tell a story and have the ability to evolve and change. In Big it was the ‘choose your story’ angle, however, before then I didn’t have the foresight to imagine comic books in any other medium than the occasional movie. I’ve since come around on that idea and am a huge proponent of great properties getting out there in as many formats as possible. As a comic book, The Backstagers isn’t in our top 10, but it’s certainly a great comic for those middle school students and up that dig theater. The Backstagers and the Ghost Light is the first novel to feature the stage crew at St. Genesius Prep in an original graphic novel.

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Chomp Goes the Alligator, a counting board book with real bite

To a new parent counting books might appear be quite similar. They were to us. The numbers don’t change; they go in order, what’s the difference. However, there are variables that need to be considered. If it’s a flap book (where you have to flip something up) are the flaps strong? Will they rip off easily? How thick are the pages? Will they be ripped or compromised with ease? Also, don’t forget the spine of the book-be sure that it’s strong enough to merit the cost of the book. Chomp Goes The Alligator by Matthew Van Flee gleefully devours all of those expectations into the best counting book that we’ve seen in years.

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Hip & Hop In The House!, 4 fly 4YO and up

The tortoise raps slow. The hare raps quickly. There is no racing involved. They do walk briskly for a moment, but that’s only after the two anthropomorphic animals meet each other and see a poster for a rap battle. Hop lives in Breakbeat Meadow and Hip lives in Slowjamz Swamp, both of which are in Oldskool County. If you’re tongue isn’t fully in cheek yet there are more than two dozen cute puns that seal the deal in this book hits home for elementary school readers; or for those parents of young readers who want to have fun reading it to them.

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Baby Sees Colors! is a bright, kawaii-culture board book for 0-3

Baby Sees Color! is a statement of fact and a board book for those babies that just got off the baby boat. Why are board books important? Babies as young as 6 weeks old can make out shapes and colors. For parents who want their kids to see the brightest, most vivid and certainly the most kawaii book need to check out Baby Sees Colors! This board book is a phenomenon in Japan and has sold 700,000 copies there. Baby Sees Colors! is available in the United States for the first time in all of its bright colored, wavy-lined glory so that new parents can watch their babies go down the rabbit hole.

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Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol, The Scary Library Shusher review

Some first graders need a literary push. Our first grader is like that. He likes to read in theory, but he wants to read those books that he knows and for the most part they’re picture books. Kids need to love to read and parents need to challenge kids to read things that they love without it exclusively being books about toilets, poopypants and practical jokes. The struggle is real. Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol, The Scary Library Shusher is the fifth book in this series by Andres Miedoso, with illustrations by Victor Rivas.

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Secret Scouts and The Lost Leonardo, it aims high and mostly succeeds

Secret Scouts and the Lost Leonardo aims for the stratosphere. From the front cover we glean that it’s about four kids and a huge secret that involves history that could possibly propel them through space and time. All that’s missing is a Goonies-centric, blue phone box that’s bigger on the inside. The book angles itself as all age Da Vinci Code and for the most part it succeeds. Although for us it was more akin to a National Treasure with an upper middle school cast.

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Ant-Man and the Wasp review and giveaway

We were provided with the film for a review. Our 9 year-old had never seen a Marvel movie. I’ve been trying to drag him with me for a couple of years, but he was never game to see one until Ant-Man and the Wasp. When it came out in theaters he saw the trailer and was curious. He was even asking me questions after I saw it. Many of his friends at school saw the film when it was in theaters. He’s never been one for loud noises and if there’s one thing about Marvel movies, they aren’t subtle. They’ve big, rollicking spectacles with visuals to delight and explosions to compliment them. With Ant-Man and the Wasp out on Blu-ray DVD our 9 year-old has seen his first Marvel movie. He’s also bragged to his friends that he’s seen Ant-Man and the Wasp on DVD. At home.

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