Daddy Mojo, Author at Daddy Mojo

The Weeping Tide, misfires in its second entry in the Wilderlore series

Sometimes I co-teach a lesson on fantasy reading. It’s good to experience it from this perspective because it reminds me what separates the good from the great; as well as those that didn’t measure up to the levels of their predecessor. The Accidental Apprentice was the first book in the Wilderlore series, which we were big fans of. The Weeping Tide is the second book in the series and as the name and cover image would imply, it mainly takes place around the water. This is where our fantasy lesson planning came in, because I was reminded that fantasy books typically have a large number of characters.

The Weeping Tide is the second book in the Wilderlore series that slows down the story with longer chapters and drama that mglit fans might not dig.

The second verse is not the same as the first

Aaron Slater, Illustrator a picture book that’s wise beyond its years

I’m a very punctual person, but I was really late to the illustrated book party that Andrea Beaty and David Roberts have been putting on. Granted, I have seen them because it is impossible to not see one of their books in a lower to mid-elementary classroom or in their school library. The Questioneers book series’ iconic use of graph paper on their cover images makes it clear that these are illustrated books are kept close to the heart of STEM. Aaron Slater, Illustrator follows the previous book’s blueprints. It has rhyming pages, lovingly detailed art, and has a story that aims high with its stem-tastic appeal that’s disguised as an illustrated book

Aaron Slater, Illustrator is in the Questioners series and is a picture book that’s wise beyond its years.

Better late than never to discover this illustrated series that exceeds from any angle

What’s Up Construction Truck? melds the impossible into a board book

What’s Up Construction Truck? is a board book that flies in the face of expectations. It is a board book. It is an interactive/pop-up book to an extent. It’s the smart, buildable board book that you wish that you had when you were a kid. It truly is a great time to be alive, but it didn’t start out this way. When we first received What’s Up Construction Truck? it scared me because of its implied simplicity. I just want a board book, not a puzzle that will embarrass me in front of my 12-year-old, I thought. So, I gave the book to him and let him put it together.

What’s Up Construction Truck? is from the pop-up genius of Matthew Reinhart, this time creating a 3-D bulldozer from the pages of a board book.

You can do this. It’s simpler than it looks and your kids will love it

The Batman is the most Batman movie yet, from any vantage point

What to say about The Batman? Does one look at it from the perspective of quality, as an action movie, superhero flick or gauged simply against the cannon of Batman films that preceded it? Alternately, you could evaluate The Batman as a contrast in movie styles when it comes to DC and Marvel. As a comic book fan and one who appreciates movies of all sort, The Batman is fabulous tour-de-force on every level.

The Batman is big, loaded with action sequences and a sense of dread that suits the dark knight.

The Batman is so very much Batman, and fans will love it.

Quiet!, a quirky, old soul, illustrated tale with deft art

I read Quiet! to a second-grade classroom the other week. It was storytime, but one reason for reading Quiet! to them was that I just simply wanted that. One of the great ironies about teaching elementary school children is that in order to have peace and sanity is that you are the one who has to speak, even it’s at a quiet, yet energetic volume as you read to them. Quiet! is the sort of illustrated book that bathes in allegory and has pictures to help younger readers infer what’s happening. It’s also gorgeously illustrated with visions of a city that feels Parisian but has an anywhere appeal that’ll make young readers’ thoughts go wherever.

Quiet! is an illustrated book that doubles down on the allegory in words and art, paying off in a story that kids will understand and enjoy.

Speak UP, Speak OUT!, mglit on Shirley Chisholm that comes alive

In fifth-grade social studies the topic of civil rights isn’t touched on too much. It does dig deeper than the “I have a dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr., but other speeches, incidents or players in the movement won’t be addressed until middle school. Shirley Chisholm is one of those historical figures that should be mentioned in that class. In 1968 she was the first black woman elected to the United States Congress and the first black woman to run for the President of the United States of America as she sought the nomination from the Democratic Party. Speak UP!, Speak OUT!, The Extraordinary Life of “Fighting Shirley Chisholm” by Tonya Bolden is out on Nat Geo Kids and does what they do best.

To celebrate Black History Month and the release of Speak Up, Speak Out!: The Extraordinary Life of Fighting Shirley Chisholm by Tonya Bolden (January 4th), 5 blogs across the web are featuring posts from the book and author, as well as 5 chances to win!

A book your 6th grader and up will love and learn

Prisoners of Geography, natural barriers shape our world for ages 9 and up

I mentioned the phrase prisoners of geography to a group of fifth-grade students in social studies one day. At the time we were learning about the westward expansion of the United States, specifically, how impactful it was when The Louisiana Purchase opened up that massive area. When I used that phrase the term ‘prisoners’ and ‘geography’ threw them for a loop and immediately led to the things that fifth-grade students will say. I quickly told them that it wasn’t an incarceration, rather the term meant that people and countries are largely defined by the physical boundaries that surround them. Prisoners of Geography, Our World Explained in 12 Simple Maps is not your average world book. This is a very smart book that leads to questions, answers and an actual discussion about what’s happening in our world and why things have happened.

Prisoners of Geography is the illustrated young readers edition of the international bestseller. It’s fun, educational and a go-to STEM for ages 9 and up.

Maps and stats to make ages 9 and up curious and talkative

Pixels Of You, a very slow burn, hazy manga-esque graphic novel

Pixels Of You, I love that song from The Cure. It’s off of Disintegration, which is easily one of the best LPs, CDs or downloads that you’ll ever run across. D’oh, that song is actually Pictures Of You, my bust. Pixels Of You is a graphic novel that’s aimed at upper middle school futurist fiction readers who really enjoy AI, cybernetically infused humans, and how those robot/people or people/robots fit in with the greater society. It’s also helpful if those readers are girls or those dudes who are into fashion or photography. Readers will further enjoy Pixels Of You if they enjoy conspiracy theories, and statements that could be facts, but could also be confused with stark chapter announcements.

Pixels Of You is a slow burn graphic novel with a manga vibe that’s great to look at, but has underdeveloped characters.

The art is striking, the story, really, really takes its time