Daddy Mojo, Author at Daddy Mojo

Super Manny Stands Up! to the simple things for greater good

A book that gently explores bullying from the observer’s point of view didn’t initially sound like it would be of interest to young readers. Adults know that bullies act that way because they’re insecure or are also being bullied. It’s a harder concept to convey that to children. We’ve talked to our seven year old about bullies and people who incessantly pick on others but are met with the same disdainful look every time. Super Manny Stands Up! by Kelly DiPucchio with illustrations by Stephanie Graegin manages to parlay this tricky relationship in a way that children will understand.

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Best all ages comics for August 16, 2017

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Happy New Comic Book Day! Every Wednesday lots of new books make your way to local stores and we’re taking a look at the best all ages comics for the week. Specifically, these five are great titles that you can jump into without knowing what happened in previous issues. It’s not as if you’re starting out with issue #1, in most cases, but readers as young as five can jump into some of these all ages comics. The music in the podcast is from Forget The Whale, over at Free Music Archive.

Jumpa: The Origin of Wonder Woman’s Kanga

What? Wonder Woman has a pet kangaroo? Apparently she’s had one for a long time and this book is geared to really young readers five and up, with a story by Steve Korte and art by Art Baltazar. There’s also a Super Pets book out featuring Streaky, Supergirl’s cat, Ace, Batman’s dog and Krypto who is Superman’s dog.

Uncle Scrooge

Our five year old loves all things Disney. Whatever they put in that magical elixir he certainly got his fair share. Uncle Scrooge #29 is out this week and is indeed one of the great all ages comics, but it’ll be best enjoyed by kids who are seven and up. That is entirely due to the vocabulary and that ages younger than that might not be able to read it on their own. These Walt Disney titles from IDW are printed in English for the first time and usually translated from Italian, French or Spanish.

Future Quest Presents

Future Quest, the DC Comics series that reintroduced the classic Hanna-Barbara characters to comic books ended its mini-series run. In its place is Future Quest Present and issue #1 from this mini-series is out this week. Future Quest brought the team together to modern times. Now in Future Quest Presents we get stories that are strictly devoted to certain characters. First up is Space Ghost, his quest to rebuild the Space Force and mysterious new villains. Future Quest Presents has content that will be OK for ages seven and up, but might require too much reading for them to really enjoy it. Ages nine and up who like cool science fiction with adventure will get the most out of this series.

Teen Titans Go!

People as young as five can pick up Teen Titans Go!, making it one of the go-to all ages comics each month it comes out. The visuals are bright, the action is silly, it has superheroes that they know from the television show and it’s only $2.99.

Doctor Who

We’ve talked about Doctor Who in the podcast lots and some folks aren’t convinced that it can be classed as an all ages comics. Ages nine and up will get the most out of this comic book. There is not anything graphic about Doctor Who, but it’s more complex than most of the younger skewing comics. It’s science fiction that fans of the show will immediately dig. There’s also a sly sense of humor in the comic that is evident by its cover homage to The Matrix.

Humor

Superhero

Action/science-fiction

The Sandwich Generation is real-and doesn’t include bacon, Part One

The Sandwich Generation is the term used to describe people who are caring for young children, as well as an older parent. This is part one to an ongoing series where we’ll document things that might help others. The Sandwich Generation is an interesting period that has pros and cons. Pro: Your children get to experience time with their grandparents. Con: Depending on your family or their medical condition this could also be a con. There are a couple other downsides that occur to those who are dealing with this. We’re knee deep in dealing with the Sandwich Generation and have a couple helpful things you’ll want to consider. Every situation is different. Some of these tips will translate to anyone, while others are more specific and will only resonate with those who in a medical Sandwich Generation situation. (say that five times fast)

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The Rise of the Rusty Robo-Cat is doodle-rific for creative kids

The Rise of the Rusty Robo-Cat is the third book in the Doodle Adventures book series by Mike Lowery. Just a couple weeks prior to its release our 7 year old asked when the next doodle book was coming out. It’s fascinating what kids remember and what they like isn’t it? I didn’t even think that he remembered The Pesky Pizza Pirate and here he was asking if another book was coming out.

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The Song From Somewhere Else, YA mystery with quality

Books do not come with visual effects. They’re books, consisting of words on paper that take you away, make you think, laugh or care about something without leaving your space. The Song From Somewhere Else is a YA book; but it has a palpable sense of dread, mystery and growing up that creates a layer of fog that surrounds you whilst reading it. It’s important here not to confuse fog with a lack of direction. The book knows where it’s going; it just does a great job of keeping audiences guessing.

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Creepy Pair of Underwear is an instant children’s classic

I like sequels or second acts when the quality is as good as the first entry or there’s a distinctive hook that said project has that nothing else has captured. Creepy Carrots is one of our children’s favorite books. It’s a classic that will be around for generations and manages to straddle the kid friendly line of scary and mysterious, even though kids know it’s all silly fun. Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds with illustrations by Peter Brown has the same character as Creepy Carrots, yet isn’t a sequel per se. Rather, Creepy Pair of Underwear is another story featuring Jasper Rabbit that is possibly more entertaining than its already fabulous predecessor.

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Crayola invites you to Dandelion’s retirement tour this weekend in Atlanta

Did you hear that Dan D. is retiring? He’s not the lazy guy near the vending machine, well, at least this is not about that Dan D. Dandelion, is in the final stages of the Crayola Crayon Retirement Tour. Yellow, at least this particular shade of yellow, dandelion, is hanging up the paper wrapper. However, he’ll be making a special stop in Atlanta this coming weekend. Not only is he appearing at five metro Atlanta Target stores, he’s bringing some presents.

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The Battles of Tolkien, deep end-yet also accessible Middle Earth

The Battles of Tolkien is a fascinating book on many levels. It’s a book about books that ends up making you want to read the books that it’s talking about. Even if you haven’t read The Lord of the Rings you’re almost certain to know a little bit about its mythology. Maybe you saw one of the films and were curious about reading the books, but never got around to it because of cat videos or actual real-life responsibilities. The surprising thing about The Battle of Tolkien is that it is a deep dive into a detailed world; yet, the book is as appealing to non-Tolkien’s as it is to fans.

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