Mo and Jo Fighting Together Forever: Toon Books Level 3

Mo and Jo Fighting Together Forever: Toon Books Level 3

"Lynch provides classic comic-book repartee in beginning-reader-friendly vocabulary ably matched to Haspiel's bold images and zippy colors; the high-quality production supplies good, old-fashioned fun and a superhero lesson that packs a wallop." --Kirkus Reviews Mona and Joey can't stop fighting! When the Mighty Mojo decides to give his powerful costume to them, these argumentative twins fight so much they rip it in half. Now each one is only half as strong! Can Mo and Jo find a way to combine their powers, fight the evil Saw-Jaw and save their town? Kindergarten-Grade 3–Mona and Joey are constantly fighting but they both share a love for the superhero Mojo. One day, out of the blue, their mailman reveals that he is actually their revered hero in disguise. Ready to retire, he offers the children his costume, which contains his special powers. The siblings fight over it until they rip it in half, but their mother creatively transforms the pieces into two costumes, each containing one of Mojo's powers. When the town parade is threatened, the children must learn to work together, becoming the team Mojo. The dynamic cartoon art successfully conveys the excitement and action of the plot, and children will love the simple graphic format. However, though young readers will probably be drawn into the narrative by the dynamic artwork, some of the text might be difficult for them to decode. Also, the siblings' bickering is grating, making the characters somewhat unappealing, and the central message that the children need to work together is a bit heavy-handed. –Mari Pongkhamsing, St. Perpetua School, Lafayette, CA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. This book from the TOON imprint, which introduces beginning readers to graphic novels, follows the daring exploits of squabbling brother and sister Jo and Mo. After they inherit, and split, the suit worn by their idol, the superhero Mojo, they use their newfound powers to foil the plans of the dastardly villain Saw-Jaw. The text is peppered with puns and some clever idiom work, reinforced by repetition as well as what’s happening in the clean panels and art. The fairly sophisticated wordplay will likely stretch the comprehension level of some readers but will gently introduce them to the idea that words can and often do become quite different according to context, all the while wowing them with the junior superhero action of the twins’ short adventure. The sibling rivalry, which resolves itself when they realize that they can only succeed by working together, will be familiar to all the brothers and sisters who clash over anything and everything, just for the sake of argument. Grades K-2. --Ian Chipman "Lynch provides classic comic-book repartee in beginning-reader-friendly vocabulary ably matched to Haspiel's bold images and zippy colors; the high-quality production supplies good, old-fashioned fun and a superhero lesson that packs a wallop." --Kirkus Reviews "The text is peppered with puns and some clever idiom work, reinforced by repetition as well as what’s happening in the clean panels and art." --Booklist "A book young children will relish." --ForeWord Reviews "What better conflict can you have with superheroes when it's a duo that are also brother and sister?" --Read About Comics "Children will love the simple graphic format." -- School Library Journal "I simply cannot recommend Mo and Jo and the other TOON Books enough for the primary grades. If you interact with K-3 students, you should not be without this book in your library." --The Graphic Classroom Dean Haspiel, who drew Mo and Jo, used to read Fantastic Four and Shazam! when he was a kid. He admits that he used to fight with his brother all the time, too: “All siblings have a healthy rivalry, and so did we.” Dean has illustrated Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon’s The Escapist and drawn superheroes for Marvel and DC Comics. He has created his own comic character, Billy Dogma, and is the founder of the webcomic collective ACT-I-VATE. If he could have any superpower, he’d like to fly, “because that would just be cool!” Jay Lynch, who wrote Mo and Jo’s story, loved to read funny superhero comics like Plastic Man when he was a kid. When he wasn’t reading comic books, he would draw his own cartoon characters on the sidewalk in front of his house—then hide in the bushes to hear what other kids had to say about his drawings! Jay grew up to become a legendary cartoonist and has helped create many popular humor products, including Wacky Packages and Garbage Pail Kids. If he could have any superpower, he’d like to know what color something is just by touching it.