illustrated book | Daddy Mojo

The Door That Had Never Been Opened Before, a timeless new classic

The Door That Had Never Been Opened Before is an illustrated book with a look. It’s tactile appearance makes you reach out and touch the flat pages within the book as if you want to open the door or flick the characters to see if they’re drawn on a spring and move if you push just a little bit. The story is timeless, and a child’s first encounter with an age-appropriate M.C. Escher illustration. Combine the two and there’s a trippy dippy creative real-along illustrated book that will have the younger ones laughing while you’re reading it, and place a wide, silent grin on the older kids that pick the book up for some alone time when you’re not around.

The Door That Had Never Been Opened Before is an illustrated book that due to its look, has an old soul, and due to its totality is a new classic.

The M.s. Escher vibe is only the start of the fun

Digestion! The Musical, a madcap illustrated opus on food’s destiny for ages five and up

Upend expectations. Take what is normally expected from a thing and completely subvert it in a much more excellent manner than you are used to. Digestion! The Musical is an illustrated book that takes the normally short presentation of those books and makes it longer. It takes a subject that every elementary-aged child is curious about and turns it into a theme park of a book. There are three distinct areas of the book that looks at how the body digests food. Digestion! The Musical works as an illustrated book for young elementary ages, as well as, a primer on the human body for ages six and up. It’s also worth noting that it does this with style, STEM, humor, and poop, just in case your audiences are curious about the end results.

Digestion! The Musical is an uproarious illustrated book for ages five and up that looks at food’s journey in a way that kids will swallow.

STEM, fun and dancing poop for ages 5 and up

Dear Wild Child adds up to more than meets the artsy eye

The cover of Dear Wild Child immediately catches your attention. It’s the silhouette of a young girl whose long hair is whishing in the wind. Inside her head’s outline are the shapes of a forest in the grip of autumn’s peak with cabin shapes that are inlaid where her eyes, nose, and mouth should be. It’s a nature person’s Picasso, with just a hint of mystery-and that’s just the cover. Once you open Dear Wild Child and start reading it you’ll find a story about nature, family, and loss. This illustrated book also has a curve that readers aren’t expecting.

Dear Wild Child is an illustrated book with gorgeous art that sublimely and optimistically teaches about loss and overcoming it.

Coping, family and destruction, but guised in a happy package

Creepy Crayon! continues the instant classic illustrated magic

A magic pencil is the real-life sibling of Creepy Crayon! However, in reality, Creepy Crayon! is the third book in the Jasper Rabbit-led series by Aaron Reynolds with art by Peter Brown. Creepy Carrots! and Creepy Pair of Underwear! were the first two and have since become ubiquitous in elementary school libraries and classrooms. Moreover, these books are everywhere and kids actually want to read them. Let’s take that a step further and say that these books, in addition to the newest entry, Creepy Crayon!; straddle the line between illustrated book noir, funny and spooky like no other books those ages will read. If Rod Serling made an illustrated book it would be in league with these books.

Creepy Crayon! is the kind of illustrated book that you wished you read when you were a kid, it’s funny, smart and timeless.

The third book is this series is just as charming and timeless

My Dog, Hen is a very clever and timeless illustrated book

Illustrated books can be fun, moreover, they should be fun, because the actual point of the book is for children to enjoy them. All too often we’ll run across books that didn’t get the memo on that point. They do have a point, but their message is too in your face and simply forgets that kids won’t read it if it’s not fun. My Dog, Hen got the memo on that. There’s no message, no ulterior motive and it ends so quickly that you’ll double-check to see if the final two pages are glued together. As a result, its stark graphics will pull you in and the story of a boy, his family, and their dog is just the sort of feel-good read that kids will always enjoy.

My Dog, Hen is an illustrated book whose illustrations and clever text combine to make it smart and refreshing for those early elementary ages who want to read about dogs.

Keeping it simple, slightly weird and very fun

Wally the World’s Greatest Piano-Playing Wombat, a read along with wit

Once when I was teaching fifth grade I mentioned to some of the students that they weren’t the best and that there would always be somebody better. This elicited a wave of sincere shock and disbelief from them. What about this, what about that were all questions that quickly followed their gape-mouthed expression. These kids needed to read a book akin to Wally the World’s Greatest Piano-Playing Wombat. It holds the title of being the longest-titled book that we’ve read in recent memory. It’s a title so long we couldn’t add any words to our review title, lest it not be accepted by search engines. , as well as being one that elementary kids will love to hear, but also one that readers, won’t mind reading.

Wally the World’s Greatest Piano-Playing Wombat is an illustrated book that says lots about children’s confidence and teamwork, without saying a lot.

Wombat resistance is futile

My Parents Won’t Stop Talking! will be on your forever bookshelf

The cover of this book is annoying, and that is the point. My Parents Won’t Stop Talking! Is an illustrated book that channels the impatience, imagination, panicked exaggeration, and manic mood swings that kids can have like few books before it. When you read it you’ll remember when you were a kid and your parents would not stop talking. The family was out for a walk, they’d see somehow they know and talk for what seemed like hours. My Parents Won’t Stop Talking! is from the viewpoint of a possibly impatient child as that exact thing happens.

My Parents Won’t Stop Talking! is the perfect intersection of art and story in a picture book about patience, perception, and creativity.

Embrace the choas and go down the rabbit hole

The Sweetest Scoop, a fun picture book on ice cream, ethics and persistence

The other day I heard on the radio that Touch of Grey was released on this date in 1987. They then went on to chat about Jerry Garcia and I immediately regretted not seeing them on tour with my friend in 1988. However, now I’m all about reading, children’s literature, and introducing kids to great books, which bring us to The Sweetest Scoop, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Revolution. This is a picture book that examines the rise of the duo in the world of frozen treats and corporate responsibility. Don’t read too much into that last series of words because the book is entertaining, has a great narrative, and will make readers smile, in addition to giving them something to learn.

The Sweetest Scoop is a picture book on Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, the flavors, their business, the ethics, and walking the walk.

At the intersection of life, business and ethics is this surprisingly fun picture book