Daddy Mojo

Grandpa Cacao, a family and chocolate love letter that needs postage

I love chocolate. I also love my family. Grandpa Cacao by Elizabeth Zunon is the story about a grandfather who she never knew. He grew up harvesting cocoa beans in West Africa and she grew up in Albany, New York. It starts off with her dad making a chocolate cake while mom is running an errand. There are lots of things in the book for some people to love, but as a book with broad appeal Grandpa Cacao falls short, despite its obvious good intentions.

Grandpa Cacao aims high and wide, but falls short. The art is great, but the text is too much to be a children’s book.

The book shows her grandfather scooping out cacao beans, drying them out and then smashing them into the chocolaty extract that kids everywhere love.

As an illustrated book with an emphasis on art, Grandpa Cacao succeeds wildly. The images are layered with collages, paintings and silk screening techniques. The pages have more in common with an art gallery then some children will be accustomed to. As an exercise in art appreciation that is great, however, the result as an illustrated book-which is what this is, is something different.

The mixed media pages clash together in some instance which caused the story to become secondary. Granted, we love some children’s books where the art or the presentation overtakes the story. But here it’s different because it’s obvious that the story means so much to the author.

The other reason that the book felt jarring is because there is too much text. The book’s full title, Grandpa Cacao, A Tale of Chocolate, From Farm To Family gives a glimpse into the scale it’s attempting. The pages have too much text for the book to be a true “children’s book” in the sense that you read it to them. Most parents would check out halfway through the book if they’re reading it to a small child and the small children wouldn’t be too far behind.

Likewise, the vocabulary in the book is too advanced for young readers who might be drawn in by the cool visuals. The result is a well intended book that’s too artsy for older kids and too wordy for younger kids. Chocolate is great and there’s a cool children’s book out there to tell about how it’s farmed, but this isn’t it for most readers.

Nobody Hugs A Cactus, tells kids everyone gets grumpy and that’s OK

This is an ode to the surly children. Those kids whose moods are more often than not, negative. These are the dour children who want to be happy, but don’t want others to want them to be happy. They want to have friends and be loved, as long as it’s on their terms. Picture a pint sized Louis Black, albeit with fewer words and absolutely OK for children and you’ve an idea of the main character in Nobody Hugs A Cactus. Hank is the cactus who behaves like the prickliest human you’ve ever met-and believe me, you’ve met people like him before.

Nobody Hugs A Cactus is an illustrated book that demonstrates that everyone gets grumpy-and that there’s usually a friend around to help you out.

Hank simply hangs out in a pot on his window sill all day. Nothing really happens in front of him, after all it’s the middle of the desert. When something does pass by like a tumbleweed, jackrabbit, tortoise or cowboy he’s more apt to yell at them. At best he’ll raise his cacti voice and tell them that they’re on his property and to get off it ASAP.

That is until a very lanky cowboy walks by and suggests that he needs a hug. “It’s too bad nobody hugs a cactus”, he says as he saunters off into the sunset. For record we say something similar to our 7 year-old when he acts this way, except ours is slightly more condescending. “Is someone feeling grumpy?”, we’ll say when a certain someone needs a nap or is feeling a bit too big for their britches.

After the cowboy leaves Hank’s first comment to a wandering lizard is to immediately proclaim that he does not need a hug. When the second creature, this time an owl swoops by, Hank is slightly more amenable to the fact of hugging someone. After a couple more moments Hank is in full on hug mode, but can’t get anyone to give him the time of day. That is, until a cup gets caught up the in wind, which then gets stuck to his prickly face. He’s unable to remove it due to his dinosaur arms, so Rosie the tumbleweed swipes it off his cactus mug when she passes.

This unleashes a torrent of kindness from Hank. He grows a flower to thank her and waits patiently for her to blow by again. Does our formerly curmudgeon cactus ever get that hug?

Carter Goodrich does the art and story for Nobody Hugs A Cactus. He’s designed characters for Brave, Ratatouille, Despicable Me and many others. Hank is a cactus with personality. Initially all of that is negative and it’s expressed in a variety of tans and browns to perfectly convey the atmosphere of the American southwest.

Hank evolves throughout the story. Initially being the grumpy get-off-of-my-lawn plant, to the erstwhile friendly cactus who is in search of a hug. It’s in this friendly period that Hank’s emotions are best displayed. He’s still a relatively tiny cactus, but the minute movements that his face and tiny arms tell speak more than the words on those pages. At times Hank reminds me of teenage Groot and the perfection that both of these characters reflect the age or mood they’re going through.

Nobody Hugs A Cactus isn’t just for children that can be grumpy or crabby, because everyone can be that given the wrong circumstances. This is the go-to book now for our 7 year-old. We read it to him at night and let him handle the sentences that he’s comfortable with.

Scratchie: A Touch-and-Feel Cat-Venture with board book bite

Great board books leave older readers grinning when they finish them. The purpose of a board book is to entertain those young readers with introductory vocabulary, bright colors and durable pages, just in case they get chewed on. Scratchie: A Touch-and-Feel Cat-Venture succeeds in all of those categories and one more. It does the rare thing for a board book in allowing older readers (see: the adult reading the book) to grin when they finish presenting the book to the young audience. The result is a board book with just a little bit of bite.

Let’s be clear, I’m not talking ‘bite’ as in societal commentary or controversial parenting opinions.

Scratchie starts out talking directly to the human who is reading the book. The cat invites you to scratch along with them, first off the doormat and then climbing the wooden table that leads to the kitchen counter. Along the way young crawlers to pre-K kids can scratch the surfaces that present themselves on each page.

As cute as cats can be, they sometimes lead to trouble, which is what happens to Scratchie. Towards the end of the book our cat takes things one scratch too far and makes a big mess, just before the human in the book comes to break up the party. Suddenly Scratchie is at a loss of what to do. All that our cat can do is lie on her side and offer for you to pet her.

See, it’s just a little ‘bite’. However, this is just the sort of non-saccharine board book that some parents clamor for. Every bit of Scratchie is fabulous for children. It’s a board book that will allow their emerging senses to touch, chew and turn every page with glee. It also has that ever so slight gleam in those last two pages that accept and expect a mess, or just a little chaos to happen. And that is just the spirit that some new parents need to know is headed their way as said young reader grows.

The Multiplying Mysteries of Mount Ten adds up to middle school fun

Sadly it was our 9 year-old son who clued us into the pun that is clearly in the title of this book. “Daddy, it’s a book about a kid who accidentally goes to a math camp instead of art camp and it’s called The Multiplying Mysteries of Mount Ten. Mount ten?”, he said. Oh, mountain, Mount Ten, math camp, this is a clever pun that kids (or at least my kid) got before I did. I need some coffee.

The Multiplying Mysteries of Mount Ten, middle school book, elementary school book, Krista van dolzer, math camp, art camp

The Multiplying Mysteries of Mount Ten reads like a summer camp based mystery that’s at home with Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys or some of their more modern contemporaries. As an adult, those two franchises are the first ones to pop into mind because this book blends the two and can be enjoyed by boys or girls equally. Granted the lead character in Mount Ten is Esther, a 12 year-old girl. However, the book is filled with enough gossip, mystery, adventure and upper elementary school conspiracy theories to keep anyone that aged involved. There are also the puzzles.

Esther was supposed to go to art camp, but somehow her stepdad gets the reservations mixed up and she’s going to Camp Archimedes. It’s also raining, storming so hard that the roads are closed due to flooding just after they arrive. This is some great weather for a mystery.

This camp is renowned for their puzzles. Some of the puzzles are challenging and there’s one that’s so dastardly that it’s never been solved. Set among this competitive background are a couple of disappearing people, some folks that the kids can’t trust and the huge mountains that frame the camp.

Those readers in upper elementary through middle school will enjoy The Multiplying Mysteries of Mount Ten. Think of those insane theories that this age can come up with. If you pass that house after 9PM without humming snakes will pop out from the ground. A murderer used to live in that house and you can still see their face in the kitchen window. These are the absurd urban legends that live in the imaginations of ages 9 and up and this book is right at home with them.

The disappearances that happen in the book and their reasons won’t resonate with older readers. However those younger readers will swear up and down that they’ve had friends who have gone missing like that too. At which point you, as the adult can challenge them to do one of the math riddles that the books posits.

We couldn’t solve the riddles in the book. However, author Krista Van Dolzer has a degree in Mathematics from Brigham Young University and kids (like ours), will certainly try to solve them. If they’re like ours they’ll get caught up with the pacing of the book and end up not solving them; but they’ll enjoy the book as a lively, fun book that’ll make them smile.

All age comic books for August 21

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Why do we say here are the new all age comic books for August 21? Each Wednesday is new comic book day, that day when all of the new comic book releases happen for the week. From those deliveries there will be a dozen or two that are great for the all age audience. This week is loaded with great all age comic books including Snow White, Scooby-Doo, Marvel Action and much more. In the podcast we’ll chat about Surfside Girls-The Mystery as the Old Rancho, Mary Blair’s Unique Flair, Linus and much more.

Gumball, Linus-A kaboom collection, Mary Blairs unique flair, Snow White and the seven drwarfs, Scooby-Doo Where are you, Marvel Action: Captain marvel, Spider Man, Archie Vs. Predator, Scooby doo where are you 100, all age comic books, kid comics

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

The world according to gumball, gumball, cartoon network,

Cookie & Kid #1 of 6, UE, M

Linus, peanuts, linus a peanuts collection

Mary Blair's Unique Flair, Mary Blair, Walt Disney,

Mickey Mouse Quest for Missing Memories, M, H

snow white, snow white and the seven dwarfs, dark horse, all age comic books

all age comic books, scooby-doo, scooby doo where are you, comic books

Superhero

Batman #232, UE, M, H

Magnificent Ms. Marvel #6, UE, M, H Marvel Action Avengers #7, E, M, H Marvel Action Captain Marvel, #1 of 3 Marvel Action Spider-Man #7, E, M, H Action/science-fction Archie Vs. Predator, M, H Avant-Guards #7 of #12, M, H Jim Henson Beneath Dark Crystal #12 of 12, UE, M, H Jughead Time Police #3 of 5, UE, M Star Wars Adventures #24, E, M, H

Surfside Girls, The Mystery at the Old Rancho, UE, M, H

Surfside Girls, surfside girls the mystery of the Old rancho, graphic novels

The Story Web is an enchanting fable with superb storytelling

What’s remarkable about The Story Web is how quickly this original book hooks you. By the end of the first chapter, a scant ten pages in, you’ll be hooked. You will know the main character, get a glimpse into what drives them and will flip through the pages without any effort. Approximately one/fourth of the way through the book you’ll feel like it’s a climax and wonder where the book can go from here. And then, as if accepting a dare, the book takes that climax and runs with it. This extension creates an ultimate finale that matches the buildup, tying up all of its loose ends. The Story Web is upper elementary through middle school gold.

Her dad used to call it the Story Web. It’s a place deep in the forest where different strands of stories are physically woven together. Alice is now older, her dad isn’t around anymore and she’s searching for a purpose. Suddenly all of the animals in town start acting strangely. Moreover, they seem to be communicating with Alice. It’s a rabid animal or I have bacon in my pocket is what I’d think. Alice though, thinks that there might be something to the animals that have found their way into her life.

The Story Web is a coming-of-age, animal love letter to libraries and telling stories. It’s unlike any book we’ve read and will captivate readers who are in fourth grade and up. This was a book that played like a movie in my head and I love books like that. Part of the reason for its seamless transition to my head is that the longest chapter is about eight pages. The chapters are long enough to push the story forward, yet short enough for young readers to complete in one reading. Just like potato chips and kittens, they won’t stop at one and soon enough they’ll be asking for another book in this series.

Towards the end of the book you’ll see that this is a love letter to telling stories and libraries. Part of that is certainly due to author Megan Frazer Blakemore and her job as a school librarian. She’s had other published books that have received numerous awards, including Kirkus Reviewers Best Book of the Year and more.

Elementary aged readers in third grade and up will love this book. It’s got enough mystery to bring in the action readers and enough friendship to bring in the relationship crowd. The Story Web is awesome and will hook readers that step into its world.

Thank you For My Dreams, boiler plate gratitude for kids and families

Look them in the eyes please. Our kids do not like it when we say that to them, but they need to hear it. It’s what they should do when they speak to someone or when they say thank you. Aside from being an outstanding Oingo Boingo song, gratitude is something that can be difficult to express, either because we’re not used to saying it or think that the occasion may not really merit it. Thank You For My Dreams is by HSH Prince Alexi Lubomirski and the book began as a simple way for his young boys to say, surprise, thank you.

The young one had a nightmare and Lubomirski was calming him by reminding him to say ‘thank you’ for the things that he was thankful for. There’s their dog, cookies, family and many more things. Within a couple of minutes he was asleep again, but the list of things that the elder Lubomirski was thankful for kept growing. From that list a book was born so that they-and everyone else would never be at a loss for a list of things to thankful for.

The book is presented in contrasting two or three colors on each page with it being broken down into morning, day and night. There are some sight words that younger readers will be able to navigate on their own. What each page and its listed ‘thank you’ has in common is that they’re short and easily digestible.

It’s a way of letting younger readers know that it’s OK and that everyone has these feelings or thoughts. Sure it mentions thanking ‘you’ for warm clothes, music and other physical things. What resonate more with younger readers are those vague aspects of life, such as laughter, frustration, dreams and wonder that kids might not realize that they need to navigate.

Our 7YO is like that. He is the only one who gets frustrated in school. He is convinced of this. Of course, adults know that he’s just one of hundreds of thousands of kids that get frustrated in school, but to him, he’s the only one. Thank you for the emotions that allow us to realize when we’re frustrated.

Thank You For My Dreams is a feel-good book that defies sarcasm or ill will. Sure, you may think of a pop song or two with those words in its chorus or lyrics. However, after skimming through a couple of pages in the book you’ll be charmed by sublime or rarely thanked things that you’ll be thinking of tonight. To make this book even more appealing, all of the proceeds from its sales go to a humanitarian charity called Concern Worldwide.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 is one that kids will enjoy….for a moment

Our 9 year-old loves going to the movies. He’s a lot like me in that respect, it’s a combination of the relaxation of the film, getting a snack or relaxing for a couple hours. He is almost at the age where he’s able to discern an entertaining movie from a good film. To that end he’s been really excited about seeing The Angry Birds Movie 2. It is what every elementary kid we know is talking about and the reviews have been favorable.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 improves upon the original, but not by much and that’s not saying a lot. Ages 7-9 will enjoy it.

That is, they’ve been favorable if you look at them and then read the review all the way through. The Angry Birds Movie 2 is actually good. It’s the rare film that improves upon the original, and more quotes are out there to talk about the movie. For us this film wasn’t as bad as the first one, which was just slightly better than The Emoji Movie.

So, to that end, The Angry Birds Movie 2 does improve on the original. The film is loaded with jokes, so many jokes that it’s an eventuality that you’ll crack a smile at least once during the movie. Another thing that stuck out for us was its use of music. There dozens of instances of popular song snippets being used to set up scenes. My wife did nudge me when they played The Final Countdown, AKA, the greatest song ever. I forget what scene the song set up, but the :20 of the song was outstanding.

Adults are not the key audience for The Angry Birds Movie 2. For most people over 11 the film will be instantly forgettable. On the way back home I asked the younger son (7YO) if he liked the film. He answered yes and the prattled on about which bird was the funniest, his favorite scene and much to my chagrin, nothing about The Final Countdown. His older brother said that he liked the film, but couldn’t remember one detail about it.

That jibes with what we saw in the movie theater. Our 7YO was laughing out loud and having fun. His older brother was mildly amused and eating popcorn. I suspect that the elder one was there just for the snacks in hindsight.

The plot in The Angry Birds Movie 2 is about a newly discovered island that seeks to crush the red and the black birds. In writing this it’s hard to believe they actually made a first movie about two groups of birds who are out to destroy each other. While this sequel hints at something bigger and better, a la, Minions style, it’s more likely that all of these birds on the big screen will wind up like the Dodo.