Daddy Mojo

Ida B. Wells Voice of Truth, an effortlessly enjoyable illustrated book

Ida B. Wells Voice of Truth is a fabulous example of an illustrated book that is greater than the sum of its parts. Non-fiction illustrated books can sometimes be a tough read for those younger audiences. Sometimes they’re too long for the attention spans of those young readers, while other times there’s just something that doesn’t connect. Voice of Truth connects with young readers and does so in a simple, less-is-more manner that deftly balances the text by Michelle Duster, to the art by Laura Freeman, with the difficult to quantify X factor.

Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth is an illustrated book that tells a compelling non-fiction story that will inspire people for any number of reasons.

Succinct and to the point, it’s an illustrated book that young readers will enjoy

The Adam Project fills the big shoes of the films that inspired it

For teens in the early 1980s the only time-travel jam that was worth your time was The Final Countdown. Years before Europe made it the title to one of the best songs ever, it was a head-bending, what-would-you-do, escape onboard a wayward American aircraft that traveled from modern day times to just before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Similar to The Black Hole, that film put an indelible mark somewhere and somehow into my movie-going psyche. The Adam Project has that same vibe, but it’s a movie that is sharper, more contemporary and much faster paced than its time travelling contemporaries. It’s also on Netflix, which is a fact that might add to people’s enjoyment of the film.

The Adam Project is a feel-good movie that blends time travel, action, humor and heart.

Check logic at the door-this is a blast for the family

Overground Railroad for young adults, history for middle school and up

Overground Railroad is a book that looks at how black people traveled from the mid-1930s through the mid-1960s. In my mind’s eye that’s the way, I described Overground Railroad, the Green Book, and the Roots of Black Travel in America to myself. It felt odd when I stated it that way, but that’s because I hadn’t heard about the Green Book and I was thinking about the topic from my modern-day perspective. It’s also worth noting that this is the Overground Railroad version that’s been adapted for young adults. In 2020 a book with the same title, by the same author came out, but that was geared for an older audience.

Overground Railroad is historical, non-fiction that looks at the Green Book and its influence in commerce for black Americans from the 1930s through the 1960s.

A non-fiction slice that most people haven’t heard

How to Decorate Your Apartment: 5 Tips

When it comes to your apartment, finding the style that suits you requires you to do some research to find the style that feels personal to you. It is essential to consider how color schemes and individuality combine to create a space. Here are five tips on decorating your apartment and making it feel personal to you!

1. Decorate With Photos

The easiest way to personalize your space is to decorate with photos of friends and family. You can create a gallery to display throughout your apartment to feature some of your favorite images. You can choose the frames and display layouts that make the most sense to you and your style. Wooden surfaces can create warmth and connection, and shadowbox frames can add dimension.

Additionally, consider looking into custom picture canvas for a modern take on picture framing. You will enjoy seeing reminders of your favorite memories every time you notice these photos in your apartment.

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.