Children's book reviews, all age comic books, Kidlit, mglit, movies, entertainment and parenting
This one’s for all of the kids who ever had a pet growing up, especially a dog. If Bill the Dog was a song being dedicated on the radio, that’s how the presenter would introduce it. However, Bill the Dog is a children’s illustrated book about a dog who feels like he’s a bad dog. Is there such a thing as a bad dog? And if there were such a thing as a bad dog, would the dog have guilty feelings about it?
Getting elementary-aged students to read can be tough.* Getting elementary-aged students, especially boys, is marginally easier to do if it’s though a graphic novel. ** The resistance decreases even more if the book’s cover has a gross, but age-appropriate monster or mysterious being. If the audience already has name recognition, then the book is like butter in the hands of a kid who’s been outside all day in the summer heat. Stay Out of the Basement is a graphic novel that lives in the Goosebumps world, and checks off all of the boxes that young readers want.
I had the Shakespeare talk with a class the other day. Why do high school students read Shakespeare? Why do high school students study algebra or other advanced mathematics that they likely won’t use in life? As a high school ELA teacher, I understand both of those queries, but am only able to empathize with one of them. However, they both have the teachable aspect as to why they’re taught and what students can learn from both of them. Much Ado About Numbers: Shakespeare’s Mathematical Life and Times is a surprisingly fun book that combines both subjects and adds some history for good measure.
I like this illustrated novel trend. It’s enjoyable as an older reader (who is certainly not the intended demographic), and for the younger readers in elementary school who need a nudge to get them into a book. The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia has a gorgeous layout. Its illustrations add to the readability factor, and it certainly speaks to upper-elementary-aged readers. Older readers will have some issues with the pacing of the book. Middle school audiences will also be able to see through the plot twist in short order. Does any of that matter to the book’s key demographic, those fourth or fifth graders who simply want to have fun while reading?
We are big fans of the Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales book series. It’s the New York Times Bestselling series of non-fiction graphic novels that makes history fun. Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: The Web of War is the 14th book in that series and the best one yet. All of his graphic novels are enjoyable on some level. Our only complaint with them as a whole was that their font was small. Fast forward to The Web of War, my glasses have a new prescription or this book operates on a higher plane that encourages my middle-aged eyes to lock in more and get lost in a book.
Spooky Rivers is based on the TikTok Series. I know I sound like the oldest person in the room, but I never thought a book would come from social media. Is this a case of man biting dog, or am I as old as Methuselah? Regardless, the first thing you’ll notice about Spooky Rivers: 25 Strand and Mysterious Rivers That Snake Across our Planet is its size. It’s one of the three largest illustrated books we’ve received at Daddy Mojo. This is a book that makes a statement and is impossible to ignore.
An attorney friend of mine is visiting as many United States national parks as possible. There are 63 of them, and I think his family has visited about 50 of them. The Nature of our National Parks is a children’s illustrated reference book that inspires the wanderlust in any age. The book isn’t automatically intended for children, it’s just that we group illustrated books with children. In this book’s case that’s not entirely accurate because The Nature of our National Parks also includes a handful of photographs from the places in question. Whichever way you approach the book, you’ll develop a case of the arm-chair traveler. Another effect is that you’ll start scheming a manner in which you can write a book exploring these 63 parks so that you can write them off as a work expense too, which could be what my attorney friend is doing.
Don’t feel guilty for enjoying a graphic novel about a medical condition. Exposures: A Story About Life with OCD and the Power of Facing Your Fears is an unlikely graphic novel about life. Its protagonist is Peyton, who has a sister, Taylor, with the two living with their parents in the mountains. Peyton is growing older and realizes she’s not like other girls. She obsesses over things that keep her from living a more normal life. She has to touch things a certain number of times. She has a constant fear that her sister or family are going to die in the near future. Peyton realistically thinks her food is poisoned, doesn’t like change and has anxiety that is crippling at times. If you’re in high school, the preceding sentences describe you or someone you know. Exposures is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel by Lily Williams.
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