Daddy Mojo, Author at Daddy Mojo

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, James Gunn fixes the problem

Cinephiles will remember the time when a movie from a Steven King story all but doomed it to a less-than-entertaining experience. The cinematic world of Marvel Comics has had its own perilous journey. Comic book movies used to be pejorative, but then they reached a relatively consistent phase where they were dependably entertaining. MCU phases 1, 2 and 3 are great examples of that. Then came phase 4 and someone tinkered with the MCU script. While some movies in phase 4 made money, most of them fell far short of expectations and were marginally entertaining. Guardians of the Galaxy was a phase 2 film that defied what audiences expected from a comic book movie. It was weird, had characters that few people outside of the comic book world knew, and seemed out of place amongst a sea of mildly flawed spandex heroes. It was also refreshing. Now, with all of those headwinds spinning around us, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is upon us. Does it capture the MCU magic of old or continue the tedium that phase 3 established?

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could’ve had a Disney Marvel problem, but James Gunn fixed it and made a wicked smart, fun movie that reminds you of phase 1.

Don’t call it a comeback…ok, it’s a small comeback

Who Ate What?, a fun, engaging guessing game through history

I like to imagine conversations between myself and some of the elementary school aged children that I teach. Here’s one that’s running through me head right now about Who Ate What? A Historical Guessing Game for Food Lovers.

8YO kid: I don’t like to read

Me: Do you like ninjas and cave people?

Kid: Yes, highly respected elementary school teacher, I do like to look at pictures of them.

Me: You should check out Who Ate What?

Kid: That sounds like a book that would make me read something. Me no like printed paper learning.

Me: Well, it is a book, but it’s an illustrated book that looks at well known civilizations, how they lived and what they ate or drank; thus the title, Who Ate What?

Who Ate What? is a fun guessing game for elementary school audiences that makes them ask questions and think about things.

Have you ever written something that only you will probably read?

Josephine and Her Dishwashing Machine, cleans up on a little known inventor

Any teacher that has had to read umpteen hundred essays on the same inventors knows my pain. It’s the exercise in rolling your eyes when the student says that their essay will be on the same inventor, who invented that thing that seems to be a go-to for elementary school kids. There’s a void of books aimed at that audience who need to know about more people that history might have forgotten. Josephine and Her Dishwashing Machine is an illustrated book that joyously plugs that hole.

Josephine and Her Dishwashing Machine is an illustrated book that examines the inventor of an appliance most of us use daily, but know nothing about its origin.

Hello history, it’s great to meet you

Her Eyes on the Stars, great story, but it’s been done better before

The story of Maria Mitchell is a fabulous one for many reasons. It’s about a young woman who has always loved studying the night sky and the objects that occupy its space. In the mid-1850s she was living in Nantucket and she’s noticing something amiss in the darkened sky. It’s a blur, a cottonball blur of a thing that’s set against crystal clear objects that are perfectly in focus. Her Eyes on the Stars: Maria Mitchell, Astronomer is the story about her childhood fascination with the sky; and her young adult life when she sees what just might be the first comet discovered by an American.

Her Eyes on the Stars: Maria Mitchell, Astronomer is an illustrated book with an awesome story worth seeking out, but this version could’ve used a softer touch.

Deja vu, except, not as good as the first time

A Delicious Story, happily zips along with charm to spare

This is a thick illustrated book. That’s what you’ll be thinking when you first pick up A Delicious Story. This is a lot of pages it’s probably quite a delicious story indeed. Yes, it is, but open up the book and you’ll see artwork that is the hallmark of Barney Saltzberg. The cartoonish mice are drawn with big, thick lines and have been lovingly painted to illustrate the difference between the baby mouse and the adult mouse. His art and stories always have a muted allure of a slow, patient tale that’s able to pivot to a quick reveal, twist, or surprise that leaves young readers smiling.

A Delicious Story is an illustrated book that seems simple and happily breaks the fourth wall in a story that allows young readers to guess, think and fill in the blanks.

The cuteness, oh, the cuteness for ages 4 and up

The Astronaut’s Guide to Leaving the Planet, 6th-grade go-to space project gold

Don’t tell yourself no. There are many dozens of wisdom nuggets in The Astronaut’s Guide to Leaving the Planet, but that one is a favorite of ours. Being an astronaut is a job that’s easily identifiable to an elementary-aged student. An analyst or working in public relations are amorphous jobs that are challenging to quantifiably explain what you do in a way that those age’s will understand. But an astronaut that’s a job that everyone knows, even if they don’t know how to become one. For a book centered on leaving the planet, The Astronaut’s Guide to Leaving the Planet has street-cred galore.

The Astronaut’s Guide to Leaving the Planet is an entertaining chapter book that’s custom made for 5th or 6th graders to learn about an out-of-this-world profession.

What Would the Astronaut do?

Hardy Boys Adventures: The Smuggler’s Legacy, trust the process

Let’s party like it’s 1977. The Hardy Boys are on television, it’s Sunday night and I’m about to relax and get my mystery on. I had read a couple of the books, but for me, it was the television version that I enjoyed. Your version of The Hardy Boys might be different. There was a series that ran from 2020-2023 on Hulu, the classic books, and now, their literary sibling has been modernized. Change is not a bad thing and when it comes to The Hardy Boys, their adventures and lifestyle are modern-day, but they still have the same hallmarks of the elements that brought them here.

Hardy Boys Adventures: The Smuggler’s Legacy is a fast-paced, mystery that has the hallmarks of its namesake, but is updated for today’s readers.

Just don’t tell the kids it’s a reboot and they’ll dig it

The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name, embrace the moniker and be patient

Being a substitute teacher I usually go to a different class in a different school every day. Sometimes I’ll engage in long-term assignments which will afford me the opportunity to learn students’ names. Whenever I take attendance I always say this disclaimer, “If I mispronounce your name it’s not meant to be funny or insulting, so please correct me when I do.” I then go on to mispronounce a handful of their names but do try my best to state them correctly. The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name is a book about one of those kids. In this case, the boy’s name is Zimdalamashkermishkada and he’s a little self-conscious about his long name.

The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name is a timely and heartfelt book about embracing your name and being patient to those who have trouble saying it.

Those early elementary kids will love this