Daddy Mojo, Author at Daddy Mojo

Bug Block, don’t let the board book nature fool you, this is smart stuff

We need to stop asking the folks at Abrams to stop trying to raise the ante with their Abrams Block Book series. Both of our children learned their ABC’s with them, mastered their numbers, had fun with dinosaurs, and more. They’ve gone to space with Space Block, learned about love with Love Block, and even went the Disney route with Star Wars Block and others. It’s an Abrams Block Book world and we’re just living in it. That’s what you think if you’re a four-year-old child who is digging into those high-quality, board books that don’t treat babies like babies. Bug Block follows the same format as the others, but if it’s not broken and your audience is always moving on, why change it?

Bug Block is the latest in the go-to board book series from Abrams, this time shining a light on the little creatures in our backyard.

Durable, engaging and entertaining for crawlers through K

Family Style, a moving graphic novel proving that less is more

Graphic novels are not all superheroes in tights. Graphic novels are capable of teaching lessons, even those that are biographical or non-fiction. It’s important to remind yourself of those basic truths every once in a while. Family Style, Memories of an American from Vietnam is a powerful and moving graphic novel whose potentially unattractive topic matter (to some) is made palatable with the thing that binds us all: food.

Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam by Thien Pham demonstrates the ability of a graphic novel to reach past where people think the medium should be.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

I Am A Tornado, a great read-aloud illustrated book that seeds STEM curiosity

Illustrated books teach best when it’s done via a metaphor that’s so obvious it makes adults question if the book is really about what they think it’s about. I Am A Tornado by Drew Beckmeyer is an illustrated book that completely fits that bill. The book is obviously about a tornado, in a meteorological sense, and presented at a level for early elementary school ages to enjoy. The book is an over-the-top metaphor about how kids can become out of control when their emotions aren’t in check. Isn’t it obvious? I Am A Tornado is a mix of the two ideas and is presented with infectious, energetic art that brims with movement and fun. No, I Am A Tornado is almost certainly an age-appropriate book on the whirling wind that kicks up in the summer months.

I Am A Tornado is an illustrated book on those windy cyclones, with a possible metaphor on cranky children, that will please all ages 4 through 8.

Metaphor or STEM, it’s up to you, but great for all

The Town With No Mirrors oozes realistic fiction for mglit fans

Bad advertising, collectibles, and social media have one big thing in common; and it’s one that I wish ages 12 and up would realize sooner. If you ignore it, pay no attention to what’s said, or have a more active hobby then you won’t be affected by any of its social collateral. The Town With No Mirrors is mglit, realistic fiction that alludes to characteristics of one of those. It starts with a hook, builds upon it patiently and by the time things come to a crescendo the plot is running like Zola Budd.

The Town With No Mirrors is reluctant realistic fiction for mglit readers who like their plausible stories paired with mystery.

fear not the realistic fiction middle schoolers

Zap! Clap! Boom! The Story of A Thunderstorm, a demystifying read aloud

Pre-k through middle elementary school kids know who their El Guapo is. It’s the thunderstorm. Those ages can be as happy as a clam in a tide pool but their mood will shift like the sands when they see black clouds on the horizon. Zap! Clap! Boom! The Story of A Thundstorm is an illustrated book that those ages, especially the younger ones, will enjoy. Older folks are able to appreciate the fringe benefits that are associated with thunderstorms. That’s one thing that the book does a great job of incorporating to those young ages. They have difficulty seeing how the big noise, torrents of rain and white-hot light can be beneficial at all. However, they can be and Zap! Clap! Boom! The Story of a Thunderstorm does a great job at illustrating to kids that everything has a purpose.

Zap! Clap! Boom! The Story of A Thunderstorm is an illustrated book that explains and demystifies the loud thing that scare so many young kids.

Explaining why they are could be the key to chilling them out

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, take two, a little good and lots bad

Why would I go see Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny a second time? Cult classics get better over time, a bad movie that’s just been released doesn’t need to be seen again. Let’s be clear, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is not a cult classic. However, my extended and immediate family loves the Indiana Jones character, and its 90 degrees outside, so what the heck. A second viewing of the film didn’t change my initial opinion of the film, but it certainly explained a couple of aspects regarding the character’s fandom.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is not as horrible as you think it might be, but it’s not nearly as good as it could’ve been.

Nostalgia bait, this time with family

Samurai at the High kindles wonder and imagination for the ages

There is something about samurai warriors that conjure up every corner of our imagination. Your age or sex doesn’t matter; it’s the thought of dozens of skilled warriors battling it out with thick wooden sticks, sharp swords, and body armor made from ancient craftsmen that feed that fire. Granted, adults of a certain age may also channel their inner samurai with a set of Ginsu Knives. More cerebral folks might study Japanese history and the evolution that samurai had over hundreds of years in Japan. Samurai: Armor from the Collection of Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller is on display until September 17, 2023, at High Museum of Art and is an exhibition that will entertain all of those camps and more.

Samurai: Armor from the Collection of Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller is a detailed exhibition on those warriors on display at High Museum of Art.

Keep Calm and Samurai on

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, we expected worse

If you’ve read any reviews of spoilers about Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny they’re all true. It kind of falls under the idiom of, whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right. There are some great moments in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. There are some pointless moments, instances of human physical impossibility, a case study of why de-aging characters is a horrible choice, and examples of why adding more cooks to the kitchen never results in a better quality film. However, thanks to Mads Mikkelsen, the score by John Williams and, to an extent, Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny isn’t the train wreck that resembled Crystal Skull.

It’s not rocket science, but it jumps a low bar