Daddy Mojo

Ready to Read adds non-fiction and emerging readers will love it

The Ready to Read book series from Simon & Schuster are one of our favorite books for emerging readers. They’re jammed with color, are perfectly priced and have large-but not too large of a font size. If the font is too large then the inference is that it’s a baby book and they are not baby books. The reading level is labeled as perfect as a children’s book can be. From the front cover you can see what level the book is and on the back cover you can read a more detailed explanation about each of the levels so that readers can have something to aim for on the next level. We love these books. The only problem, until now is that there were no non-fiction titles.

If You Love Dolphins You Could Be….. is the first in a growing line of non-fiction books from the awesome series of Ready to Read books.

They’ve solved this problem with If You Love Dolphins You Could Be and If You Love Video Games You Could Be. Each book has the same format of the Ready to Read books that parents have enjoyed for years, but with an educational, fun and non-fiction direction. Both of these books work and elementary school readers will enjoy the more ‘adult’ content matter.

Adult is all relative. We’re not talking about unicorns or superheroes here. The presentation is the same, but in these books we’re learning about a variety of careers that people can aspire to be. In If You Love Dolphins You Could Be has a detailed overview of three careers that involve dolphins or other sea life. On one page there is a glossary of some other sea based careers like an oceanographer, environmental lawyer, underwater archeologist and more.

For us these books are perfect. We have a 7 year-old that is a little slow in reading. He is able to read lots of sight words and some bigger words, but has trouble putting them together as he reads. He’s also behind, according to his teachers and that could impact his confidence. As a parent, we want him to read what he wants to read (which means more reading!), but we also would prefer it to be something educational. Call it the Trojan Horse approach to getting books in the hands of emerging readers.

The price point for these books, relative to their colors and how much kids enjoy them is also a great value. The request for non-fiction books in the Ready to Read series was presented to the publisher by lots of educators and teachers. Like me, they loved the format of the books and how much kids love reading them, but wanted more educational options. At the end of each of these books is a graphic that announces that more books are coming. That is a great and needed thing. Kids love to dream about what they’ll do when they get big and there are thousands of options beyond the stereotypical firefighter, lawyer or doctor.

Win a family 4-pack of tickets to see The Angry Birds Movie 2

One of the bigger surprises a couple of years ago was The Angry Birds Movie. I know that our children loved it and the film made almost four times its budget. Granted, box office success doesn’t guarantee a quality movie, but it does prime the pump for a sequel. The Angry Birds Movie 2 is one that our kids have been itching to see ever since they saw the trailer. It opens in theaters on Wednesday, August 14 and we’re giving away family 4-packs of tickets to the Atlanta sneak preview of the film.

Win a family 4-pack of tickets to The Angry Birds Movie 2 Atlanta sneak preview on 8/8. We’re frenemies and the movie looks fabulous.

The Atlanta sneak preview of The Angry Birds Movie 2 is Saturday, August 10 at 11AM. We’ve got four 4-packs of tickets to the show. To enter to win a package leave a comment in the blog post or RT this:

Win a family 4-pack of tickets to see The Angry Birds Movie 2 in Atlanta, https://t.co/RUhNVN8sqo @AngryBirdsMovie, #sneakpreview pic.twitter.com/XjjvNtm3pT
— Daddy Mojo (@Daddymojo) August 6, 2019

We’ll pick the winners of the packages Thursday afternoon, August 8 at 4:00. Thanks-and good luck!

Update! We just heard that Red, the large and in-charge Angry Bird himself will be at this sneak preview. Be sure to bring your camera so that you can get a photo of big Red and your kids. Red will also be appearing that night at KIDZ BOP Live Atlanta later that night. It’s two chances to meet Red, don’t miss out or you’ll be green of those who did.

All age comic books for August 7

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Happy back to school time of year! Alternately, happy end of your vacation and here are this week’s all age comic books. If you’re looking for a comic book for someone in elementary school this is one of the best weeks in months. Almost every book is aimed somewhat at elementary school age readers.

If you’re new here or just checking back after the summer we’ve got a new rating system. It’s quite simple and will really help with any recommendations as to what all age comic books or graphic novels are appropriate for whom.

Pre-K: those crawlers, toddlers and early walkers 2-5

E: Anyone in elementary school will enjoy this book.

LE: Lower elementary readers who are 4-8 will enjoy this book.

UE: Upper elementary readers are those who are 9 and up.

M: M is for middle school, those readers that are 12 and up.

H: H is for high school and you won’t see much of that here.

Humor Archie Married Life 10 Years Later, UE, M Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #275, E Disney Frankenstein starring Donald Duck, UE, M Disney Frozen: The Hero Within #2, E, M Giant Days #53, M, H My Little Pony Feats of Friendship #1, E Over the Garden Wall Symphonies #1 of 5, UE, M, H Uncle Scrooge #47, UE, M Superhero DC Superheroes Batman, Catwoman’s Halloween Heist, UE, M DC Super Heroes Batman Five Riddles for Robbin, UE, M DC Super Heroes Batman Fun House of Evil, UE, M DC Super Heroes Batman Man Behind the Mask, UE, M Dear Justice League, UE, M Marvel Action Spider-Man #6, E, M Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Shattered Grid, UE, M, H Scooby Doo Team Up Doomed, E, M, H True Believers Absolute Carnage Mind Bomb, M, H True Believers Absolute Carnage Planet of Symbiotes, M, H Wonder Woman You Choose Crystal Quest, E, M Wonder Woman You Choose Movie Magic Madness, E, M Wonder Woman You Choose Monster Mayhem, E, M Action/science-fiction Ben 10 For Science, E, M

All age comic books for august 7, cash and carrie, action lab comics

Enola Holmes Case of the Lefthanded Lady, M, H Goosebumps Horrors of the Witch House #3, UE, M Sabrina the Teenage Witch, #4 of 5, UE, M, H Samurai Jack Lost Worlds #3, UE, M, H Sonic the Hedgehog Tangle & Whisper #1, E, M Steven Universe #30, UE, M, H Steven Universe vol 5, Find a Way, UE, M, H Transformers vs. Ghostbusters #3 of 5, UE, M, H

Win a BAKUGAN prize pack

Get ready to brawl! We were sent a BAKUGAN prize pack so that the kids could play with it again. At Momo Con we were introduced to BAKUGAN and both boys absolutely loved it. Fast forward to late summer and we’re excited giving away a two (2) BAKUGAN prize packs.

So, what is BAKUGAN? It’s one of the hottest toy lines around that feature the amazing transforming collectible toys complete with battling game and anime-adventure series on Cartoon Network. It combines real, moving toys that start out as balls, but explode into various monsters. It also combines card elements that allow players to use their imagination. Both of our boys love playing with the toys and get fired up, as only 7 and 9 year-olds can do as they taunt each other with ‘Let’s brawl!” It’s also worth noting that our 7 year-old could assemble all of the brawlers except for one of them.

Two winners chosen at random will win this BAKUGAN dream prize pack, which has everything needed to become the ultimate BAKUGAN Brawler. Winners will be notified upon the closing of the weeklong contest.

BAKUGAN prize pack includes:

1 Battle Arena

1 Starter Pack

1 Battle Pack

1 Bakugan Ultra

1 Baku Storage Case

To enter just RT this tweet:

Win a BAKUGAN prize pack https://t.co/GJbM01hqNl, #BakuganBattlePlanet, #BAKUGAN, #Giveaway pic.twitter.com/ouCa6Wygss
— Daddy Mojo (@Daddymojo) August 5, 2019

Another way to enter is to leave a comment on the blog post? Who is your favorite BAKUGAN Brawler? Have your kids seen the show? Have they played the game?

The giveaway runs until 10:00 PM on August 11, so get your entries in now!

More on BAKUGAN Roughly a decade ago, Spin Master launched BAKUGAN, an anime series that evolved into a global phenomenon, capturing the hearts of children around the world. At the close of 2018, Spin Master re-launched BAKUGAN Battle Planet, and the BAKUGAN toy line is recruiting and reacquainting fans with the world of BAKUGAN, activating tournaments and fan experiences at some of the biggest convention across the country.

At home, fans can immerse in a world that includes: an innovative toy line with new technology; a revived card game; extended content, sneak peeks and 90-second character webisodes available online at BAKUGAN.com and on YouTube; a mobile app; tutorial videos; and a mobile mini game where fans can battle. A BAKUGAN Dragonoid Monster Jam Truck, toy and battle size for Monster Jam live competitions has also been unveiled.

Superbuns- file under: impossibly cute, illustrated book

Like pizza, a cat video or peeking under the wrapping paper, Superbuns is impossible to resist. Superbuns is by author/illustrator Diane Kredensor and if you’ve read Buck’s Tooth you’ll recognize her style. The feel of the book is as at home with the classic vibe of a comic strip. Its size compliments the cuteness and takes a rabbit named Buns across the city with a hot pie of a happy time.

Superbuns, rabbit, blossom, Diane Kredensor, pinky and the brain, Clifford, fox.

Buns is a rabbit. Actually, she could be a bunny as the other main character is Superbuns is her know-it-all sister, Blossom. Blossom means well, but is insistent that being kind is not a super power. Sure Buns may hold open doors for old people, take out garbage and pay compliments to lots of people, but being kind is not a super power.

On this particular day the two rabbits are being quite kind. They’re taking a pie that they baked to their grandmother’s house. Halfway through their journey they notice that a stranger is following them. This is the city and stranger danger is a real thing, but it’s also a city populated with impossibly cute anthropomorphic animals. However, things are further complicated by the fact that this stranger is a fox.

A fox who has been following two rabbits can’t be a good thing, can it? In this case Blossom freaks out when Buns starts innocently talking to the young fox. Foxes eat rabbits, you silly rabbit. As this is a children’s illustrated book, Superbuns turns the animal world on its head and this particular fox is just trying to get home. Thankfully Blossom knows all about directions and getting lost, all of which she’s eager to share with their new pointy eared friend.

Superbuns is cute. It’s disarmingly cute and will suck readers in who are 4-8 years old. Those on the upper end of that scale will be unwittingly charmed by the illustrations. The text in the book is such that those ages should be able to read all of it effortlessly. There are some sight words for the emerging readers that are on the younger spectrum of that scale.

Ultimately what makes Superbuns work is its illustrations and the simple, home-spun nature of the story. It feels like the book equivalent of a pillow with two cold sides. Kredensor is an Emmy Award-winning director and producer for lots of animated shows that you and your kids have seen before. Have you ever seen Pinky and the Brain (!!), Clifford the Big Red Dog, Curious George or a couple others? Her resume is a cartoon lover’s watch list and Superbuns rides into your child’s library as effortless as using Superbuns power.

All age comic books for July 24

Happy new comic book day! This week in new all age comic books has Archie for middle schoolers, Archie Vs. Predator 2 #1 of 5 for middle and high schoolers, Looney Tunes for elementary and older, Making Friends ( a great middle school graphic novel) and lots of superhero stuff for those in elementary also.

In the podcast we’ll chat about some cool all age comic books including Scooby Doo Team Up, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Lumberjanes, Skip, Archie Vs. Predator 2 and much more. For now, here’s the complete list of those comic books that will be great for readers of all sorts of ages. Some will skew as young as elementary school. Obviously they all won’t demo that young, thus here’s the handy rating system.

For those who are new to the site and want one of the go-to all age comic books, look for those that have an E, M and H in their rating. These are the rare comic books that young readers will enjoy, as well as those teens who are in high school.

The rating system

LE: Lower elementary school readers will enjoy this book.

UE: Upper elementary readers will enjoy this all age comic book.

E: Any kid in elementary school will like this.

M: M is for middle school, those readers that are 12 and up.

H: H is for high school.

Humor AM Archives Laurel and Hardy, UE Archie 706, M, H Archie Vs. Predator 2, 1 of 5, M, H Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #275 Disney Comics and Stories #6, UE, M Looney Tunes #250, E, M, H

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic #80, E, M Tangled the Series Hair Raising Adventures TPB, E, M Superhero Amazing Spider-Man #26, UE, M, H Marvel Action Avengers #6, UE, M Marvel Rising #5 of 5, UE, M Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #41, UE, M Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #45, UE, M, H Scooby Doo Team Up #49, E, M, H True Believers Absolute Carnage Mania, M, H True Believers Absolute Carnage Separation Anxiety Action/science-fiction

Die Hard Board Game, H, H+

Lumberjanes #64, UE, M, H

Sonic the Hedgehog #19, E, M Star Wars Adventures TPB, Vol 6, Flight of the Falcon, E, M Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Rise of TMNT Sound Off, #1 of 3

All age comic books for July 10

Happy new comic book day, here’s a look at the new all age comic books this week. Our super simple rating system will break it down so that all you need to know is the age of the child you’re getting a book for.

Pre-K: those crawlers, toddlers and early walkers 2-5

E: Anyone in elementary school will enjoy this book.

LE: Lower elementary readers who are 4-8 will enjoy this book.

UE: Upper elementary readers are those who are 9 and up.

M: M is for middle school, those readers that are 12 and up.

H: H is for high school and you won’t see much of that here.

This week in all age comic books check out Care Bears, Minions, Spider-Man, Atomic Robo, Little Golden Books and more.

Humor Archie and Me #19, E, M

Disney Lion King I Am Simba Little Golden Book, Pre-K Disney Zootopia: Hard Day’s Work, UE, M Minions The Despicable Collection, E, M

Superhero Amazing Spider-Man #25, M, H, H+ Avengers Battle on the Moon Little Golden Book, Pre-K, E Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man TPB Vol 1, UE, M, H Miraculous Tales Ladybug Cat Noir season 2, Volume 8 Tear of Joy, UE, M

True Believers Absolute Carnage Venom vs. Carnage, M, H, H+ Wonder Twins #6, M, H Science-fiction/action Atomic Robo and the Dawn of New Era, M, H Jim Henson Beneath The Dark Crystal #11, M, H, H+

Spider-Man: Far From Home, stumbles a little, but nobody will mind

The MCU film that I compared Spider-Man: Far From Home when I left the theater was Iron Man 3-and not for good reasons. Elements of the film have the same bait and switch trick that the later had and I wasn’t a fan. However, since that film we’ve had almost two dozen entries into the MCU, a mythos has been created, fandoms built and a series of movie juggernauts launched. We’ve also had three really entertaining Spider-Man films in three years and that’s a great thing.

By now the history of Spider-Man and his MCU lineage is established. The snap occurred, was undone, albeit with some casualties and life has pressed on. What Spider-Man: Far From Home gets 100% down correctly (in an entertaining fashion) is how the snap impacted everyone involved. Some of Peter Parker’s contemporaries return as young adults who were nerdy, but now are the prettiest ones at school. Tributes to Iron Man are all over town and the rumor mill is a buzz as to who will helm The Avengers.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is great for ages 9 and up. For MCU fans, it’s just above average, but leaves you with a smile.

Factor all of this on top of the fact that Peter Parker’s class is taking a trip to Europe. He’s trying to be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, has a crush on a girl, wants to hang out with his best friend and isn’t sure about his status in the superhero world that’s suddenly gotten weird.

A weird superhero film that focuses on the human elements of superhero lives calls for a heel that’s not typical; and here enters Mysterio, AKA, Quentin Beck. The snap comes into play to an extent as alternate Earths and their terrestrial based heroes are referenced. It tore a hole through dimensions which caused other people’s bad guys to come over to ours. Don’t think about things too hard in the film or you’ll see plot holes, but that’s part of the fun about the film.

It gleefully pokes fun at aspects of the snap while referencing other heroes that might seem more mature or well suited for this adventure. The film also lets the secret identity spider out of the bottle on more than one instance. Holy Michael Keaton Batman, suddenly MJ is Kim Bassinger as Vicki Vale.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is almost as much of a teen romance, as it is a superhero movie. There are some nice comedic elements and two great credit sequences that fans of the MCU need to see. One of them clears up a couple plot holes and the other one sees the MCU looking down the rabbit hole.

There are periods in the film where it gets a bit too big for its britches. One sequence with Mysterio is a bit long, the road trip element could’ve used a haircut here and there also. 15 minutes shorter and the film would’ve been a guilt-free summer popcorn flick. It’s longer than ideal run time doesn’t spoil the film, it just feels padded at times.

Having said that, it’s a fun film that ages 9 and up will clamor to see and will be the talk of the playground. It also cements Spider-Man as the youngest superhero that is OK for younger fans. Granted Spider-Man is high school, but some of the content might not be fine for most elementary viewers. The length of the film, combined with some language and mild adult situations will be too much or bore those kids 8 or younger.

Our 9 year-old loved the film and immediately asked when the next one would come out. As a fan of most films in the MCU, we liked it too, although not as much as Captain Marvel or some of the recent entries. It’s just barely above average, and that’s OK for a nice summer romp.