War Is Boring by David Axe and Matt Bors

Review by Chris Singer

About the author and illustrator:

David Axe is a military correspondent living in Columbia, South Carolina. Since 2005 he has reported from the U.K., Iraq, Lebanon, Japan, East Timor, Afghanistan, Somalia, Chad, Nicaragua, Kenya, Gabon, Congo and other countries. He is a regular contributor to Voice of America, C-SPAN, Wired and many others. David can be reached at david_axe-at-hotmail.com.

Matt Bors is a nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist and illustrator based in Portland, OR. His work has appeared in newspapers and magazines across the country, including The Nation, The Los Angeles Times, The Village Voice, The Stranger and The Boston Phoenix. He also contributes local cartoons to The Oregonian.

About the book:

Street battles with spears and arrows in sweltering East Timor. Bone- jarring artillery duels in Afghanistan's mountains. Long patrols on the sandy wastes of southern Iraq. For four years, war was life for David Axe. He was alternately bored out of his mind and completely terrified. It was strangely addictive.

As a correspondent for The Washington Times, C-SPAN and BBC Radio, Axe flew from conflict to conflict, reveling in death, danger, and destruction abroad while, back in D.C., his apartment gathered dust, his plants died, and his relationships withered. War reporting was physically, emotionally, and financially draining-and disillusioning. Loosely based on the web comic of the same name, with extensive new material, War Is Boring takes us to Lebanon and Somalia; to arms bazaars across the United States; to Detroit, as David tries to reconnect with his family-and to Chad, as David attempts to bring attention to the Darfur genocide.

My take on the book:

It's only been over the last few years that I've developed a new appreciation for the graphic novel. Reading Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 got me hooked into reading more graphic novels, and I have learned they are a fantastic medium for non-fiction as well, with Greg Neri's Yummy being one of the best I've ever read.

For David Axe, the author of War Is Boring, war was his life. For four years he covered military conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, East Timor, Somalia, Chad and Lebanon. During that time as a correspondent for The Washington Times, C-SPAN and BBC Radio, David flew from war zone to war zone, getting to the story about the true victims of the world's conflicts.

If you're looking solely for the gritty details from someone up close and in the midst of real life combat situations, you're going to be a bit disappointed. While there is some of that, this graphic novel is mostly about Axe's inner conflict between what he describes as being "alternatively bored out of [his] mind, and completely terrified. It was strangely addictive."

What gets shared in War Is Boring, is very similar to the soldier memoirs I have read. Axe gets an exhilarating rush from surviving artillery duels and the like just as many combat soldiers do. The longer he covers conflicts, the more his personal relationships deteriorate, and he seems lost and drained when he's back stateside trying to reconnect with friends and family. When the phone rings with an assignment, Axe is almost relieved to be leaving his family and to be off chasing another dangerous story abroad.

The narrative is very compelling and jarring in a manner I didn't expect it to be. Instead of being shaken by the details of the conflicts Axe covered, I found myself disturbed by his attitude and behavior which makes you believe he had a sort of death wish. Just as I found myself even more compelled to get to the heart of Axe’s inner conflict, the graphic novel was over and the reader is left with a bit of an empty feeling. Whether intentional or not, as I’ve thought about this, it actually makes a lot of sense. Unless we’ve been involved in an armed conflict, we’ll always fall short of a true understanding of what that is like. Perhaps Axe and other combat journalists know that better than anyone as they still traverse the bridge that separates the two worlds of civilian life and combat.

Animals Home Alone by Loes Riphagen

Review by Chris Singer

About the author (translated from Dutch from the author's website):

Loes Riphagen is a Dutch author from Oene, a small farming village in the Veluwe. She graduated in 2007 at the Art Academy in Rotterdam. Loes debuted in 2008 as a children's author and illustrator of the picture book Bedroom Nocturnal animals (the fountain). With her cheerful and cheeky illustrations Loes Riphagen falls on the public, the press and various juries. For her illustrations in the book house beestenboel (Fountain), it Flag and Pennant 2010 and receive the book Bedroom Nocturnal animals, she was nominated for the children's retail 2009/2010. Superheldjes (Fountain) is even elected core title of the Children 2011. Currently lives and works in Rotterdam Loes.

About the book (from Amazon.com):

Part picture book, part game, and all fun, Animals Home Alone, introduces readers to fifteen animals who begin to act in unusual ways when the humans are away. In wordless pages, each animal finds a unique activity or bit of mischief to get into. At the book's conclusion, readers are asked questions about what the animals have done.

My take on the book:

We discovered Animals Gone Home on our most recent visit to the library. When they're well done, I really enjoy wordless picture books and we've discovered a few lately which have been big hits in our home so we decided to check this one out.

Animals Gone Home is part book, part game and a lot of laughs. The illustrations are so cute and quirky and they have had my daughter laughing out loud and squealing with delight. Each page gives readers a hilarious view of what happens when families leave the animals alone at home.

Today, while Tessa was supposed to be napping, I could hear her laughing. When I opened the door to her room, she was sitting in the corner in her little rocking chair, leafing through the pages of Animals Gone Home and just having the time of her life!

I'm not sure I've ever seen my daughter enjoy a book more (and that's saying a lot!). What's been so much fun for us is that we can tell a different story each time we "read" it. Tessa is about to turn 3 and I get such a thrill listening to her tell me what's going on in the pictures. We've literally sat and poured over the pictures and telling and retelling for an hour at a time. The best part is that neither of us have grown tired of it yet!

I've enjoyed managing the site and am proud of how much has been accomplished over the past 2 years including 443 posts (with well over 300 being apps and book reviews).

If you're into stats, we've done pretty well there as well:

2010 Book Dads Stats
Annual (from April on)
* 28,992 Pageviews
* 18,804 Unique Pageviews
Monthly
* 3,220 Pageviews
* 2,099 Unique Pageviews

2011 Book Dads Stats
Annual
* 86,669 Pageviews
* 55,489 Unique Pageviews
Monthly
* 7,222 Pageviews
* 4,624 Unique Pageviews

2012 Book Dads Stats
Monthly (through Jan. & Feb.)
* 6,537 pageviews
* 5,386 Unique Pageviews

For a good amount of time, I was averaging over 25-30 posts a month but that has dramatically gone down and has my life has gotten busier, my time available on the site has decreased and I'm lucky to get 10 posts up a month these days.

All that said basically hints at what's coming next but it will be a bit different than you might expect.

For one thing, I don't want to simply drop the site and walk away. Like I mentioned above, I just got an invoice to pay for another year of hosting. I intend to make that payment. And gladly as a matter of fact. The truth is while I don't have time to contribute like I used to, I'm hoping someone is and I'm willing to front the hosting fee. For one thing, we've built up quite a resource here at Book Dads. With over 300 reviews on the site, anybody visiting can find lots of great books to share with their kids and there's no reason for me to take that away at all.

But I am looking for a person or two or three who want to take on the site and do the bulk of the work posting reviews. I intend to catch up on all the reviews I haven't gotten to yet, so I'll be sticking around. I just can no longer handle the daily grind this site deserves and needs.

So if you're interested, get in touch with me:

@book_dads

bookdadsdotcom[at]gmail[dot]com

FlyingBooks Reader by Flyingbooks LTD

online link to FlyingBooks Reader Preview:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/eebooreader/id466277060?ls=1&mt=8

FlyingBooks site:  http://www.flyingbooks.co/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FlyingBooks

My YouTube demo of the FlyingBooks app:

FlyingBooks Reader is a terrific interactive e-book reader for kids with many cool additional features (and more to come in the very near future). It allows you to create different personal profiles so one e-book can be read aloud and recorded by many different narrators. So, if you’re away on a trip, or if the grandparents are not in town, your child can still feel that bond of reading with loved ones. Better yet, if you’re on a road trip and you have the iPad in your hands, you can listen to recordings of your child reading to you! Another feature your child will love is the ability to create your own books with the photos from your iPad Camera Roll or you can take live shots with your iPad camera and put them right into a book. You can also add text and record your voice(s), too. Cool, right?

FlyingBooks e-store

Create Your Own Books!

Record your own narration!

In terms of book choices, the FlyingBooks store currently offers over 40 books, which are labeled with recommended age levels. More and more books are being added, as they are getting a great response from talented and passionate writers from all over the world. Currently, the book narrations can be heard in English, German, French, and Spanish. Another great feature is that you can see a short trailer of each book when you tap on it. You could also download a demo of the book, which lets you preview and listen to a few pages, so you and your child can decide if the story is a right fit for you. Each book costs $2.99. There are some discounted bundles available, too. In the coming weeks, mini puzzles will be offered for each book to encourage active learning, along with coloring pages. There will also be an auto-play option on the read-to-me feature to make it easier for the little ones.

The FlyingBooks app is a FREE download, so I highly recommend you give it a try. Go ahead. Create a book. Download a demo. Record yourself. Record your child. Let the joy of reading begin!

Renny Fong has been an educator for over 15 years, teaching pre-kindergarten through fifth grade; he currently teaches technology.  His wife and his five-year-old son are his biggest joy and inspiration.  He started his blog, TimeOutDad, in September 2009 and has been a contributor toBook Dads since 2010 KidZui’s blog since May 2011, and recently became a contributor toPrime Parents Club

Review by Renny Fong

About the Author:

Jennifer Luitwieler wrangles The Dog, a cat and 3 perfect angels who adore her and find her to be the best homeschool teacher ever in the universe. When she is not filling their sponge-like brains with limitless knowledge, she wrangles ideas into sentences with an imaginary golden lasso. (Of course it's imaginary. No one has a real golden lasso.) She writes on crafts and sports in monthly columns. Her first book, "Run With Me: An Accidental Runner and the Power of the Poo," was released in 2011. You can find her at http://jenniferluitwieler.com, on Twitter @jenluit and Facebook.com/jenluitwieler

About the Book:

Author Jennifer Luitwieler shares her insightful and often hilarious journey of accidentally running to stop the dog from pooing under her sewing table. What starts as a way to deal with the dog, ends up providing the space to confront some deep issues: from endlessly comparing herself to others, to competing with herself to be stronger, faster, and to pursue endlessly her own reasons and goals.

Run With Me: An Accidental Runner and the Power of Poo is about finding the unapologetic courage to confront who we are as humans. As women. As men. As parents. As spouses. As divorcees. As managers and employees. As people. And who we are, as a whole, are people created by a loving God to do good things. We are strong, capable, confident, intelligent, creative and amazing. Discovering the courage is the first step towards realizing the life we’re all seeking.

My take on the book:

Scooch over, Tiger Mom.  Make room for Samurai Mom, Jennifer Luitwieler.  Her book, Run With Me: An Accidental Runner and the Power of Poo, brings to light many of the issues and challenges life has thrown at her (that many Prime Parents like me can relate to), and how she has battled back.  I’m not a runner and not very fond of dogs (I definitely loathe dog poo), yet I found this book to be an enticing read, thanks to Luitwieler’s whimsical, honest, and charming writing, right down to her must-read endnotes.  She unabashedly reveals her battle scars and courageously confronts all the “poo” in her life.

As a reader, you feel as though Luitwieler has invited you to run with her.  One appreciates her candor and trust, as she opens up and shares about her personal story and life.  Her powerful narrative and vivid childhood memories evoke emotions many can identify with.  As you go running and training with her, you feel stronger and liberated knowing that it’s okay that you don’t have control over everything; it’s okay that life is far from perfect, and it’s definitely okay to laugh at yourself.  Most important, you realize you aren’t alone in your journey.  Community.  Acceptance. Grace.  Embrace it.

So, if you’re looking for a quick, yet powerful read, I highly recommend Jennifer Luitwieler’s, Run With Me: An Accidental Runner and the Power of Poo.  Run with it, and enjoy!

Renny Fong has been an educator for over 15 years, teaching pre-kindergarten through fifth grade; he currently teaches technology.  His wife and his five-year-old son are his biggest joy and inspiration.  He started his blog, TimeOutDad, in September 2009 and has been a contributor to Book Dads since 2010 KidZui’s blog since May 2011, and recently became a contributor to Prime Parents Club

Happy Pig Day! by Mo Willems

Review by Chris Singer

About the author (from Amazon.com):

A three-time Caldecott Honor winner for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, Mo Willems has also won two Geisel Medals for There is a Bird on Your Head! and Are You Ready to Play Outside? and his books are perennial New York Times bestsellers. Before he turned to children's books, Mo was a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where he won six Emmy Awards. Mo lives with his family in Massachusetts.

About the book (from Amazon.com):

My take on the book:

For my daughter and I, every time we read a Gerald and Piggie book, it's like celebrating Happy Pig Day! As usual the inside book cover also had my daughter howling, "Look, the Pigeon!"

This latest Gerald and Piggie book is another instant classic that has had my daughter walking around and exclaiming "Happy Pig Day!"

It's not only a fun story, but it also is a nice little lesson about friendship and being included in others' holiday celebrations. While it doesn't provide the laughs like some of Mo's others, the added touch of the friendship lesson is nice and gives an extra dimension to this story.

Here’s some other reviews of Mo Willems’ books. Enjoy!…

* iPad Kids App Review: Don't Let the Pigeon Run This App!

* Book Review: Should I Share My Ice Cream

* Book Review: I Broke My Trunk

* Book Review: The Pigeon Wants A Puppy

* Book Review: We Are In A Book!

* Book Review: Leonardo the Terrible Monster

Three simple ways you can get involved with International Book Giving Day:

1. Give a Book to a Friend or Relative
Is there a child in your life who would enjoy receiving a book on February 14th? In lieu of or in addition to a card or box of chocolates, choose a good book from a bookstore or public library. Do not underestimate the value of a library book lovingly selected and wrapped in pretty paper.

2. Donate a Book(s)
Wrap up a box of children’s books that your kids have outgrown and get them in the hands of children who could really use a book or two. Donate your books to your local second hand store, library, children’s hospital, or shelter. Alternatively, donate your books to an organization working internationally to get books in the hands of kids.

• Books for Africa (US)
• The Book Bus (UK)
• Pelican Post (UK)

3. Leave a Book in a Waiting Room or Lobby.
Choose a waiting room where kids are stuck waiting and there are few to no good books available. Purchase a good book, and deposit your book covertly or overtly in your waiting room of choice. The goal here is to spread the love of reading to kids, so choose a fun book, nothing controversial.

Please, help get new, used, or borrowed books in the hands of as many kids as possible this February. Spread the word:

• Like International Book Giving Day’s Facebook page.
• Follow on Twitter: @bookgivingday
• Encourage others in your community to participate.
• If you have a website, post the International Book Giving Day badge above on your site.

With just about a month away from LitWorld's World Read Aloud Day celebration (March 7, 2012), and we want to start the celebration early with this special caption contest and giveaway.

Below is a photo from LitWorld's tumblr blog:

Your task is to come up with a caption for this amazing photo.

Prizes:

(AVAILABLE TO ANYONE)

* A copy of LitWorld Executive Director, Pam Allyn's, book award-winning, “What to Read When: The Books and Stories To Read With Your Child—And All The Best Times To Read Them"

(AVAILABLE FOR SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES)

* And in honor of World Read Aloud Day, one lucky winner (must be a librarian or school teacher) will also receive a free ($250 value) Skype reading/workshop (45 minutes) with author Mina Javaherbin for their classroom on World Read Aloud Day.

Mina Javaherbin is the award-winning author of two children’s picture books (GOAL! and The Secret Message), both of which debuted in 2010.

This is a fantastic opportunity for teachers/librarians to celebrate World Read Aloud Day with their classroom.

How to enter:

* Comment below with your caption idea for the photo above. Be sure to include an e-mail address in your comment. Also please write who you will donate the Skype presentation too.

* For extra entries:

- Follow Book Dads on Twitter: @Book_Dads

- Follow LitWorld on Twitter: @LitWorldSays

- Like LitWorld on Facebook: www.facebook.com/litworld

- Like Book Dads on Facebook: www.facebook.com/b00kdads

Winners:

One winner will be chosen. You will have until 11:59 PT on Sunday, February 19th to enter. (Sorry, but U.S and Canada only please). I’ll be choosing the winner then and notifying them by e-mail. If I don’t get a response within 48 hours, I’ll pick new winners.

Don't forget, you still have time to participate in preparation for World Read Aloud Day!

* Register for World Read Aloud Day.

* Activity ideas and recommendations  from LitWorld.

Squirrelly Squirrels by Monica Barrois

Review by Chris Singer

About the author:

Monica Barrois became inspired to write a children's book after spending so much time reading and re-reading her grandson's favorite book to him. Squirrelly Squirrels is her first published children's book.

About the book:

Come along on a delightful and surprising journey guaranteed to make you smile and perhaps giggle. Be amazed at the antics of some backyard squirrels who attempt to outsmart a little boy and his grandpa. Discover how the story ends, or if it ends after all?

My take on the book:

This book was a lovely surprise. One of my favorite things about being a father is watching my daughter take in all the wonders in the world. It's like reliving your childhood all over again.

In this story, the play and adventures of the squirrels are captured and seen through the eyes of a child. The illustrations are really well done and their colorful and playful depictions of the squirrels add so much to the story.

Barrois has some suggested activities included at the end of the book to help enhance reader's storytelling experience.

This is an excellent first effort worthy of a spot on your bookshelf.

Chocolate Me by Taye Diggs and illustrated by Shane W. Evans

Review by Chris Singer

About the author:

Taye Diggs is an actor whose credits include motion pictures (How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Chicago), stage (Rent, Wicked), and television (Private Practice). He lives in Los Angeles and New York City with his wife, the actress Idina Menzel, and their son.

About the illustrator:

Shane W. Evans is the illustrator of numerous award-winning books for children, including Black Jack: The Ballad of Jack Johnson, and Osceola: Memories of a Sharecropper’s Daughter, winner of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award. He lives with his wife and daughter in Kansas City, Missouri.

About the book:

The boy is teased for looking different than the other kids. His skin is darker, his hair curlier. He tells his mother he wishes he could be more like everyone else. And she helps him to see how beautiful he really, truly is.

For years before they both achieved acclaim in their respective professions, good friends Taye Diggs and Shane W. Evans wanted to collaborate on Chocolate Me!, a book based on experiences of feeling different and trying to fit in as kids. Now, both men are fathers and see more than ever the need for a picture book that encourages all people, especially kids, to love themselves.

My take on the book:

I love the title and cover art of this enduring children's book. To me, "Chocolate Me" and the boy's open arms grabs your attention immediately and invites you to dive right in. The illustrations are fantastic and the story involves an important message both kids and parents can relate to.

I give a lot of credit to Taye Diggs for writing this book. As I learned when I had the opportunity to participate in an interview with Taye, this was obviously based on some deeply personal experiences. While I got caught up a few times in some awkward wording in the story, I still enjoyed the creative and compassionate manner in which the story was shared.

All in all, a nice book for parents, teachers and librarians looking for a story with a worthwhile message to share with children and their families.

About Anorak: 

Anorak is a kids magazine for boys and girls between the ages of 5-12 years old. Anorak is packed with stories, games, things to make and places to visit.

My take on the magazine:

As a kid one of my favorite things was receiving mail and I had a few magazines that come to me as a kid (Highlights and Ranger Rick are just two I distinctly remember). Even my daughter (approaching her 3rd birthday in April) loves getting mail from her grandmother and her own little Baby Animals magazine.

If Anorak was around when I was a kid, I would love getting a magazine like this in the mail. Anorak is full of brightly colored, cartoon-like illustrations, comics, stories and games. There are also some articles parents can read with their kids. For the edition I had, the theme of the issue was toys so there was cool article about toys people have enjoyed over many generations (doll houses, Legos, etc...).

I thought the magazine was really creative and entertaining. There were a few things I think parents will also really enjoy. One, there's no advertisements or ads. As a result, this magazine is packed with over 60 pages of fun for young readers.

The second and my favorite thing though were the book reviews written by kids. This issue had 8 book reviews written by kids from age 6 to 12.

I highly recommend Anorak, which is now available in the United States. Visit any of the sites below to see where you can purchase copies:

Website: http://www.anorak-magazine.co.uk/
Online shop: http://shop.anorak-magazine.co.uk/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/anorakmagazine