Daddy Mojo

The Bigfoot Seek and Find series is more than its parts

Hey look it’s Bigfoot in a Where’s Waldo type book! That’s what I thought when I saw the cover to Bigfoot Goes on Vacation and Bigfoot Visits the Big Cities of the World by D. L. Miller. To a small extent that is correct. Each book takes a look certain places and what makes them special or unique in a real world way. We see real pictures of the farm, where someone might vacation, as well as the activities that actually happen on a farm. There is also some instructional text that tells about what happens there, interesting facts and lots of figures that kids can take away from it.

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The Big Umbrella, a teachable moment for any age

The Big Umbrella is a book by Amy June Bates that’s co-written by her daughter Juniper Bates. It’s the simple story of a red umbrella that’s big enough for anyone. That premise-and the whole ‘big tent’ parallel that it brings up might irk some parents who don’t want their children reading anything that’s even pseudo-political. The Big Umbrella is not political. It doesn’t try to sway opinions one way or the other, nor is it presented in a way that promotes one over the other. I’s a children’s illustrated book, with lovely, soft illustrations that any kid or parent, on the right or left can agree with.

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The Ultimate LEGO Ninjago Experience at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta

At some point in the life of every kid 10 years old and younger they’ve been a ninja. Our 8 year old is a not-so-closet ninja and a huge fan of all things Ninjago. With The Ultimate LEGO NINJAGO Experience open for the weekend of March 31 at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta it allows kids (and nimble adults) the chance to duck and weave like a ninja, test their reflexes, control their nerves and pose for pictures with Lloyd.

There’s a character meet and greet at 11PM, 2PM and 5PM, the LEGO NINJAGO Miniland Takeover and Scavenger Hunt throughout the weekend win passed to LDC and many more events.

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All Age comic books for March 28

A new week means new comic book day and this week has a nice selection of all age comic books that will appeal to kids as young as 5 years old. First up-where is your closest comic books store? Just visit the Comic Shop Locator, type in your zip code and you’ll find one that much closer than you realize it. In the podcast we’ll chat about two different boxed sets that will really target girls in elementary school and up, Narwhal Peanut Butter and Jelly, Thea Silton and more.

Looney Tunes #242

Looney Tunes is a great monthly all age comic book that is cheap, only $2.99 and funny. Go to any elementary school library and you’ll find a subscription to Looney Tunes. Each issue has between two to four stories that’ll vary in length and feature a variety of classic Warner Bros. characters. Issue 242 of Looney Tunes has Ralph and Sam on the cover. Do you remember Sam, the sheep dog who constantly thwarts Sam, the dog, who suspiciously looks like Wile E Coyote? I forgot about them too, that’s another benefit of this comic book.

Lumberjanes #48

Are you a girl in upper elementary school who hasn’t heard of Lumberjanes? This monthly comic book from Boom! Studios has science-fiction, adventure, friendship and more-all at camp. In issue 48 of Lumberjanes the girls start camp newsletter and the horoscopes are more accurate than some campers care for. Lumberjanes is great reading, but can also be a gateway reading opportunity. This is one title that kids will enjoy and parents won’t mind them reading it.

Narwhall Peanut Butter and Jelly, book 3

I volunteered at the school book fair the other week. One of the most popular series that kids were interested in purchasing was one of the Narwhall and Jelly books. This series from Ben Clanton is deserving of its popularity and is possibly one of the first graphic novels that kids will read. What’s so great about this series is that younger readers are able to read it. They’re loaded with sight words so that those kindergarten students can practice, but it’s funny enough, with some advanced vocabulary that older kids will want to read it too.

Humor

Superhero

Action/science-fiction

Sherlock Gnomes, a low rent garden variety family film

Sherlock Gnomes is a children’s movie that makes parents yearn for the days when their children only watched Calliou. It’s a film that only bored garden clubs or for kids that value the taste of popcorn more than the time it takes for a film to earn a laugh. For me, the laugh count was two, two laughs during the entire film.

But you say, it’s a family film so surely the kids liked it more than you? I took that question to our 6YO. “No, it was boring”, he responded when I asked that question. I further prompted him to explain which parts of the film were boring and he said “all of it.”

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Wilderness at the Smokies indoor waterpark exceeded every expectation

We were provided with a night’s accommodation, all thoughts are our own. It was a surprise trip to Wilderness at the Smokies with the family and the boys were ecstatic. They knew that it was a waterpark with all manner of slides and other water oriented fun, but they also knew that the pools around us weren’t open for the season. Going swimming when you’re cold is not any fun is what they must have been thinking inside their growing minds. I quickly reassured them that Wilderness at the Smokies is Tennessee’s Largest Indoor Waterpark and that all of the fun we’d be having on this trip was inside. Their minds were all but blown away and after the trip my wife and I both agreed that our experience there far exceeded our expectations on all fronts.

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They Lost Their Heads, middle school non-fiction fun with humor

When I was a kid I loved reading books like this. Now that I’m an adult I still enjoy reading books like They Lost Their Head, What Happened to Washington’s Teeth, Einstein’s Brain and other Famous Body Parts. Author Carlyn Beccia blends a surprising amount of wit and humor into a book that alternately entertains and educates at every turn. It does this all while respecting, as much as one can, the fact that every story in the book revolves around someone’s death.

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The Play-Well LEGO birthday party for the kids built itself-and was great

We were provided with product to review. All thoughts are our own. When it comes to a child’s birthday party there are two ways to proceed, have it where you live or have it at a facility. Each option has its own pros and cons; and as hard as parents try to organize it, there will be a cost, either in time or money. For our 8 year olds birthday party we did something that involved the theme of this party, kept the party at home, was something that everyone enjoyed and didn’t have the parents flittering about to ensure that things were moving smoothly. The kids have been attending Play-Well LEGO Camps that they have in the summer for year. But, did you know that they also have the ability to do a more concise LEGO workshop and take said presentation to your home?

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