Daddy Mojo, Author at Daddy Mojo

A Bucket of Questions, a curious illustrated book you didn’t know you need

We started out one of our recent YouTube videos by stating something along the lines of “getting kids to ask the question is the important part about discovery and loving STEM.” In theory, if you’re going by a book’s title, A Bucket of Questions is an illustrated look at some questions that the elementary school audience has. What are hot dogs made of? and What’s at the bottom of the ocean? are just a couple of the questions that are posed to young audiences. The punch line to the book is alluded to in its full title, A Bucket of Questions almost answered by Tim Fite. ‘almost answered’ is not the sort of qualifier that one would use with a STEM, Q & A, or factoid book, and once you thumb through it you’ll know why it’s there.

A Bucket of Questions is not a reference book. Instead, it’s a silly, absurd illustrated book that’s intent on having fun and encouraging kids to ask questions.

Seeking the ministry of silly walks are you?

I Can’t Draw, an immediate illustrated book classic for elementary school

Max is an elementary school-aged kid. He also says that he can’t draw. I Can’t Draw is a great time of an illustrated book that dances between the first and third person as Max tries to convince readers that he can’t draw. This is the sibling book of The Day the Crayons Quit and Battle Bunny, which represent two fabulous books that are in our forever library. It teaches a mild lesson without being preachy, but has the main goal of being fun to read, which it effortlessly does for kindergarten through third, or maybe even fourth grade.

I Can’t Draw is an illustrated book that is funny from the get-go and only gets better the more times that you read it.

Make room on the forever book shelf for this one

Inner Workings, a cut-through, STEM, curiosity book for a couple of pages

I taught a fifth-grade student who drew detailed illustrations of automobiles in his spare time. They were surprisingly intricate, exterior drawings of cars with some having overview representations of their engines. While many kids who are that age like cars, this student’s passion and talent certainly went to the next level. Inner Workings is an engineer’s look at how just over two dozen things that kids see on a daily basis work. The illustrations in the book mainly consist of cross-section pictures that are done in a classic-retro style. It’ll initially draw in those mechanical engineer kids, as well as those who are just curious about how the soft-serve ice cream machine works.

Inner Workings is a how-it’s-made book that’ll preach to the STEM, engineering crowd, but could’ve yelled at everyone with more narrative.

The STEM Choir rejoices, but it could’ve reached wider and higher

Foldout Anatomy, a fold-out look at the systems that keep things alive

Pound for pound, page for page, Foldout Anatomy has the most entertaining information in a STEM reference book that we’ve seen in months. Yeah, there are lots of qualifiers in that statement, but getting kids to willingly read non-fiction is necessary, but can be challenging. Foldout Anatomy is an interactive book aimed at upper-elementary through middle school students, with enough tidbits of knowledge to entertain and educated those older souls who wander into its pages.

Foldout Anatomy is an interactive, fold-out book that looks at the systems that keep living things alive in a manner that fun and educational.

Thumb through, read them all why don’t you

The Golden Age, 2,000-year-old poems retold for kids today

We’re not worthy, quoted Wayne Campbell. The Golden Age is a children’s illustrated book that presents 17 of Ovid’s poems in story form. Without context, the writings from a two-century deceased poet that Augustus exiled to the Black Sea are not the sort of readings that tempt young audiences. However, when it’s paired with esoteric artwork that has a timeless appeal to it, combined with this style of writing it’s elevated to something greater than the sum of its parts.

The Golden Age is presented here in a package that’s retold for children. The art is gorgeous and the succinct text is perfect for those kids and creation folk tales.

Ovid, dropping knowledge like he did 2,000 years ago

STEAM Tales The Wizard of Oz, the text and science of Dorothy’s tale

STEAM Tales The Wizard of Oz is not a word-for-word retelling of the classic book by L. Frank Baum. Nor is it a twisted version of the Yellow Brick that changes the tone and heart of the story in favor of accentuating certain characters. This is a truncated version of The Wizard of Oz text that inserts four instances of science, and two STEAM activities for kids to do in each chapter. It’s not as far-fetched or as uninteresting as you might think, let’s take a look at an example.

STEAM Tales The Wizard of Oz retells aspects of the classic story, spotlighting engineering, math and science aspects of the yellow brick road.

Follow the STEAM Yellow brick road

Stanley’s Secret, a charming read-aloud that talks to kids

A ball is just a ball unless it’s an oval, and then sometimes it could be more oblong in nature. However, kids in elementary school will still play with a ball. The lesson that’s illustrated in Stanley’s Secret is similar to the ‘ball’ that kids will play with. Most kids have a thing, a thing that they do well or love to do, but they might keep it a secret from others. Stanley’s Secret isn’t a bad secret, it’s just a thing that he’s traditionally done by himself at home, in front of his two pet mice.

Stanley’s Secret is a charming illustrated book about your talents, embracing them and having the confidence to share them with the world.

sHHH…IT’S A FUN BOOK THAT TEACHES…….DON’T TELL THE KIDS

Koala, an engaging narrative look at this cute, smelly animal

Koalas are the cutest things on Earth that people outside of Australia will never see in real life. They also smell like the worst parts of a wet pug. Koala, A Natural History and an Uncertain Future is a narrative look at these marsupials that are only able to eat one thing. And even then, that Eucalypti tree might not be the correct species, which means that our cuddly little friend won’t eat it. Throughout history the koala has almost been an afterthought; when Europeans first landed in Australia they didn’t notice them for a decade and it took another 20 years for them to actually be studied.

Koala is a look at this cute, potentially smelly, poison-leaf eating marsupial that hugs its way into our hearts, via its history, research and conservation.

Naturalist history via a storytelling lens