Daddy Mojo

That Thing About Bollywood, growing pains for all, with an Indian twist

My knowledge of Bollywood is limited. I know that they’re very popular and loaded with catchy songs. You do not need to know anything about Bollywood or Indian culture to enjoy That Thing About Bollywood. The local college radio station we listen to has an Indian program on and we’ll listen to it as a palette cleanser. Similar to the book, you don’t need to know the songs or understand the language to tap your toes when you hear the music. Sonali is a typical 11-year-old girl whose family is going through challenging times. She’s a little shy and realizes that things are even more unusual when she starts singing and dancing during a school trip. Moreover, even the background colors are changing with colors that pop and contrast more than they do in real life.

MGLIT for kids going through changes

Thanks A Ton!, teaches ‘thanks’ as only Hello!Lucky can

When we last saw the Hello!Lucky team, they were up and at ‘em with Go Get ‘Em Tiger. In Thanks A Ton! their bright, maniacally happy presentation is back with a cadre of animals and the goal of getting kids to laugh and say ‘thank you. If you haven’t seen a Hello!Lucky book or any of their graphic artwork it’s unmistakable.

It’s a book for children, keep telling yourself that

Onyx is fun, educational, non-fiction that will inspire kids

Onyx True Stories of Animal Heroes is one of the first releases in a new series on Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, an imprint of Quarto Knows. The book feels old-school, from the cloth-like feel of the front and back cover to its spine that has a different color as if channeling a Golden Book. In reality, Onyx is a refreshing, early elementary read-along book or a middle to upper elementary book that will inspire kids to read more about wolves.

Lovely art and an incredible story

Newton and Curie The Science Squirrels, fun STEM for K-4

As a teacher, I know that math and science are fun. Yet, when I mention this to most elementary-aged students, the vocal minority will groan, and the silent majority just might go along with this trope. When this happens I immediately pivot to a real-life instance that could illustrate whatever math or science lesson I’m teaching that day. Newton and Curie The Science Squirrels is an illustrated book that addresses simple machines that elementary students will learn about in third or fourth grade. The book introduces them to these machines via a soft, pleasant story that those younger ages will be able to understand, with the assistance of two smart squirrels.

STEM-tastic illustrated reading for early elementary

Legacy, a collection of poems educators will love, and students will like

Our last encounter with Nikki Grimes was in Southwest Sunrise. As someone who typically doesn’t like poems, I referred to it as stealth poetry. That book is an illustrated book but has text that’s more poetic in nature. With Legacy, Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance, the literary cat has officially left the bag, because this is 100% poetry, and that’s OK. That’s what Stuart Smalley would say. Legacy is a poetry book that’s bite-sized in nature, allowing even those poetry adverse people to enjoy it. It accomplishes this by holding your hand as you read some classic poems from the Harlem Renaissance, as well as, some new poems from Grimes that were created using the Golden Shovel technique.

It’s Accessible poetry, really

MuMutts Go Green, an eco-friendly trip for fans and newcomers

Mutts Go Green, Earth-Friendly Tips and Comic Strips by Patrick McDonnell is a collection that laughs in the face of the Christmas music test. We use that test as a barometer for holiday music. If said Christmas song is great, then we can listen to it anytime, not just during December. Currently only Kelly Clarkson and Hanson are the ones to survive our Christmas Music Test. * Mutts Go Green is a collection of classic comic strips that are being released around Earth Day; but go hand-in-glove with Earl, Mooch, and the overall vibe of perfection that McDonnell has created during its 25 plus year voyage.

Like pizza or chocolate, Mutts is always excellent

Cougar Crossing, well-paced animal-taiment on city wildlife

Cougar Crossing is based in southern California. It’s worth noting that Courtney Cox and Jennifer Anniston do not live at that intersection. This is an illustrated book that tells the story of P-22 a mountain lion that lives in the Santa Monica Mountains near Hollywood. Welcome to the land of city wildlife, near Beverly, Hills that is, swimming pools, movies stars and some rogue animals that don’t belong anywhere near them. This is a clear-cut case of the fact that the cougar, P-22 and his ancestors, were on the land first, but those desert hills kept attracting more residents. What’s a natural predator to do?

A City wildlife tale with broad appeal

Manga Yokai Stories Ghostly Tales From Japan for middle and up

Manga is an onion the size of a small city. There’s a manga for every genre and even some subsets within those genres. I’m no expert on the subject, so if you’re a manga fan factor in whilst I tell you about Manga Yokai Stories Ghostly Tales From Japan. This is a collection of stories that were originally compiled by Lufcadio Hearn in the late 1800s. As older stories go, they might change over time and Manga Yokai Stories Ghostly Tales From Japan have been retold by Sean Michael Wilson. There’s a preface in the book from Wilson that explains how and why he crafted the stories. They do stick very close to the traditional stories but might have been tweaked to better conform with the pacing of a graphic novel or manga. The result is a fascinating look that’s part cultural history, dread, and horror that serves as an example of what makes manga so popular with millions of fans around the world.

Manga Yokai Stories: Ghostly Tales From Japan is hauntingly beautiful, slightly gory, a bit creepy and great fun for middle school and up.

A manga that will make you like Manga if you’re on the fence