Alex Willan | Daddy Mojo

Piece Out uses action, perspective and imagination to make it awesome

Homophones make for great elementary school comedy, in addition to dad jokes. Piece Out takes that homophone madness, adds a splash of early 90s slang, some Toy Story, and everyday things that kids will understand and laugh at. The frustration of a missing puzzle piece or someone’s favorite piece or character for family game night will provide a lifetime of memories. “You always had to be the car” or “I wanted to be red for the longest time” are just a couple of things people will remember from their youth.

Piece Out is so much better than I expected-and I expected it to be good. It’s a funny, action-based illustrated book that uses scale and perspective to its benefit.

Toy story meets die hard, kind of…, but it’s still awesome

Revver The Big Race Home, still ripping doughnuts for elementary school

Revver The Speedway Squirrel was one of the mid through early middle school comfort reads released in 2021. The premise about a squirrel and how he’s able to communicate with humans, in addition to not getting squished by cars going 150 miles an hour is inherently interesting to elementary school kids. It’s Frogger, but in a kidlit friendly way that makes you root for the squirrel and the humans. Revver The Speedway Squirrel: The Big Race Home sees our favorite squirrel traveling with the race crew. Reluctant elementary school readers unite because this book continues the folky, adventuresome tales of a rodent with a shade tale and a penchant for speed.

Back for more reluctant reading elementary school fun

Revver, The Speedway Squirrel is a great mid-elementary read

Getting an elementary-aged or early middle-grade child to want to read can be tricky. We all know that they need to read. We also know that later elementary ages and up, are most likely at a point where they’re reading to learn, instead of learning to read. If those students are in the former category but should be in the latter, then their schooling will be much harder than it needs to be. Our youngest child could be in that category, so we’re full-on trying to find books that speak to mid/upper-elementary readers. For some kids, Revver, The Speedway Squirrel is that fast racing vehicle that combines chapter book sensibilities, with the fun, goofy, surreal laughs that some kids want to read.

Revver the speedway squirrel is great mid-elementary laughs