Scholastic Books | Daddy Mojo

Mac & Cheese: The Origin Story, puns and pop-culture art for young readers

Is Mac & Cheese too clever for its own good? Are there too many jokes per page for children to understand? Do elementary-aged students know more than one cheese pun, and if they don’t, does it matter? My first reaction on Mac & Cheese: The Origin Story was one of sheer joy. It’s a pun-laden book with at least two grins or guffaws on each page. On about half of its pages the laugh-to-page count can increase to five. Illustrated books aren’t usually this funny. They’re normally more lesson-based. Those books are still positively enjoyable, they simply aren’t funny. I realize that some might not consider puns to be a laugh-out-loud medium, but for others they’re the sweet spot in the relationship of jokes and all-age humor.

Mac & Cheese: The Origin Story is the silly, laugh-out-loud, pun-driven tale that the clever kids in lower elementary school have had in their mind’s eye.

Funny on many levels

Owly, The Way Home-now in a graphic novel for new audiences

We often chat about all age comic books. Since 2012 we’ve done a weekly podcast where we talk about some of the week’s new comic books. That podcast is accompanied by a post where all of the week’s comic books and graphic novels that are good for kids are listed. Owly is an OG all age graphic novel and the first book in Eisner Award-winning series is being reprinted, this time with color illustrations done by creator/artist Andy Runton.

Our 8YO just found a graphic novel that he Wants (!!!) to read

The Midwinter Witch, the best in the series yet

The Midwinter Witch is the third and final graphic novel in this series by Molly Knox Ostertag takes the Vanissen family and their ancillary witches to a family reunion. The Midwinter Festival is when Aster’s family get together, talk about what’s new and bond as a family. They’re just like your family reunion, except they have competitions in witchery and shape shifting. If you read the first two books in the series then the personalities, quirks and powers of everyone involved will come back to you quickly.

The final book in the graphic novel series is the best and most accessible yet

I Survived The Sinking of The Titanic 1912, the graphic novel sails strong

If your elementary school is anything like ours then the I Survived series of books by Lauren Tarshis is a hot commodity. The stories blend non-fiction events as they would’ve been viewed by a kid who lived through them. Educators love the books because they engage kids with non-fiction elements and kids love them because they have characters that they can relate to. Until now, the I Survived series have been books with a couple of illustrations. This graphic novel, by definition, is going to speak to that audience that likes things in a more visual format.

The I Survived books brings their excellence to a new graphic novel audience