Daddy Mojo, Author at Daddy Mojo

A look at Music Lab: We Rock! with 3 tweens

Alternate headline: I’m old and today’s music is rubbish next to what I grew up with. Music Lab: We Rock! is a family guide for exploring rock music. It’s a fascinating book that is much better and informative than you think it is. I worked in radio for a number of years, know lots about most genres and still found the book a great read. It was quite the different story when I shared it with a focus group of three girls, aged 10, 12 and 14.

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How I learned to stop worrying and accept pre-school graduation

I was a kvetching, whiny mess at my first pre-school graduation. Mind you I wasn’t even the child; I was an adult attending the ceremony. I was also in my mid 20’s when my experience with children was limited to teaching them for 25 minutes at a time. At first I thought the other teachers were having a laugh at me, ‘really, a pre-school graduation, you can’t be serious’.

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The Harmonica Pocket gets immediate love from the #Kindie lot

When I first heard The Harmonica Pocket I must have been in a bad mood. Oh joy, another downbeat collection of songs about nature, the sun and rain. Break out the patchouli oil kids. I listened to the entire CD in the car with the kids and thought nothing of it until they chimed in from the back seat that they wanted to hear it again. “You want to hear it again?”, I asked. Yes, yes they did and they continued to love this release, specifically songs 1-9. As Sundrops has 12 songs on it that’s a very good hit ratio for a pair of discriminating children.

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New all age comics for Wednesday May 27, 2015

New comic book day is every Wednesday and this week there are some really nice all age comics in the mix this week. These are the comics that are appropriate for young readers and don’t have any mature or adult themes. This week have included Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. These comics have lots of action, but are OK for any age reader. Obviously you don’t want your child to mimic any of the ninja moves, so just be aware that all of these comics aren’t kittens and butterflies-and that’s a good thing.

This week we’re really pumped about the new Sonic Universe as it kicks off the Mega Man crossover event this summer. Garfield, Batman, Spider-Man, Adventure Time and Bart Simpson also make an appearance in their new comics this week.

The links will take you to TFAW (Things From Another World) where you’ll save at least 10% on comics. If you want to get them the day that they come out then follow this link to find the comic book shop closest to you.

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What the kids are watching on Netflix #StreamTeam

We were compensated for this post and are part of the #StreamTeam with Netflix. All thoughts are our own. Summer is here and that means that the kids will be looking for things to do. We’ve crafted out a schedule that includes various summer camps, some home education, lots of play and their television time too. The kids are watching some new programs and I just discovered one that they (AND the parents!) will absolutely love. I also found a couple great films that I’m stoked about seeing again.

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Usagi Yojimbo #145, detail rich, indie cred and all age comic awesome

This was our first introduction to Usagi Yojimbo for sale and for good reason because the comic was on a three year break. Welcome back and it’s a great time to discover this fabulous comic that is an example of what an all age comic should be. Usagi Jimbo is a 2015 Eisner Award Nominee and one of NPR’s best books in 2014. After checking out this one issue it’s easy to see why it has garnered such acclaim.

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Tomorrowland starts strong, finishes weak #FandangoFamily

Spoiler free! About 20 minutes into Tomorrowland I was disagreeing with the reviews I had read. There is something about a Disney film that is rumored to be bad that really brings the forks out in writers. For the record I loved John Carter, which was savaged and Real Steel, which was larelty ignored. Tomorrowland is not a hot Disney mess as someone called it, but it is a big Disney disappointment to moviegoers over 12.

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Coming Home, a mostly picture book for military families and more

If you’ve been through any airport you know the scene. Behind the rope are some family members with signs waiting for their friend, spouse or neighbor coming home from armed service. A new picture book takes a look at that scene in a mostly wordless book that will resonate with any parent or person who has served.

Coming Home is a simple book that uses its words sparingly. It does have plenty of images where soldiers are greeting pregnant wives, newborn children and family members. The art in Coming Home is lush, detailed and very effective.

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The main character is a boy who is roaming the crowd looking for his parent. Coming Home is a great example of letting the art in a children’s book breathe. In this case the illustrations have plenty of room to work with given that there are very few words in the book. Coming Home is a children’s book that will work great with military families or those parents that travel often.