Dads on Books

It’s only our second graphic novel, and boy was it graphic! And novel. And second! It’s The Secret Coders written by Gene Luen Yang and illustrated by Mike Holmes, the first in a six-book educational graphic novel collection.

Mike and David bring on the cowbell for the first time. And the last?

It's educational. (Just a little. Just a bit of coding. It’s basic. Not Basic.) It’s a mystery! The Mystery of the Black Squirrel? Nope. The Murder Grounds of the Dead Horse? Neigh. But there is mystery. And intrigue. And subterfuge. If anyone knows what that last one means, please email us.

And the story? A mother drops her daughter off at a creepy, haunted-looking boarding school. It’s her first day. At a new school. It won’t be her last... Well actually, we don’t know that for sure as the entire book takes place in one day. And there are six books. Hmmm. 6 days? Consecutive days?

Mike and David are huge fans of Gene Luen Yang's protagonist Hopper, a relatable, feisty yet vulnerable girl and her new friend Eni. (Oh, don't forget the little turtle robot dude). They stumble upon a mystery, seek to solve it, make some discoveries, which only creates more questions. Only five more books to figure it all out.

Graphic novel awesomeness, from illustrator Mike Holmes. The illustrations are classic with different points of view and perspectives, shadows, light, foreboding, four bearings, intriguingly coded chapter headings, meaningful captions like, “This is when we started changing into what we would actually become.” Whoa...

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE! Mike and David, shockingly, take a detour down memory lane to their first data memories. David talks about programming in Basic on a TRS 80 and storing the data on a cassette. Mike is all, “Hold my beer.” His dad brought home a stack of WHAT? Wait for it... Punch cards! What's that about hanging chads?...

And the Dan jokes? There’s a plenty. And about computers. But you'll have to be patient. They take a while to process.

If you liked this episode, check out these:

Our first (and other) graphic novel:  El Deafo by Cece Bell

R. L. Stine’s Monster Slime, another good mystery and available as a graphic novel

Our author interview with Dan Gutman

Amelia and the Babysitter because we mentioned it. And it’s a fun take on babysitting. Again with the whatever.

Future Episodes:  More graphic novels!!

And now a word from our sponsors. (Well, not really sponsors (yet), just places we love to get books from and hope that you'll go to if you need one (and get them to sponsor us while you're there).

Books in Stock in Wooster, OH

A House with Books in Keller, TX
River Forest Public Library, River Forest, IL
Grapevine Public Library, Grapevine, TX
Keller Public Library, Keller, TX

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Have a great library or independent book store you love? Let us know!

Email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Mike and David decided to go to another B2 BB episode, a.k.a. Back to Board Books with I Want my Hat Back by Jon Klassen. It’s a cute, fun book and David figured out that it was a SPOILER ALERT!—bear. Whaaaaat? I know right!!

There all kinds of fun animal illustrations:  animals being curious and animals being nice and even animals being helpful. And the mystery of the missing hat which, of course, the bear wants back! And FOREshadowing? ForeSHAdowing you ask? There’s all kinds of foreshadoWING. With foreshadowing here, and foreshadowing there, here a foreshadowing, there a foreshadowing, everywhere a ForeSHAdowing, FOREshadowing. And like old McDonald, it's a really fun book with illustrations that are not as simple and straightforward as you think. You’ve been warned! And wasn’t too hard to find Dad Jokes for this one. Animals everywhere! And FORESHADOWING...

If you liked this episode, check out these:

One of our favorite books starring animals? The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton

A parade of really cool animals? Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Earsby Verna Aardema

For Dad Jokes and other fun stuff, check out our two part discussion with the hilarious and talented Alan Katz and his book The Funniest Joke Book Ever for Kids

Future Episodes:  Eric Carle books!!

And now a word from our sponsors. (Well, not really sponsors (yet), just places we love to get books from and hope that you'll go to if you need one (and get them to sponsors us while you're there).

Books in Stock in Wooster, OH

A House with Books in Keller, TX
River Forest Public Library, River Forest, IL
Grapevine Public Library, Grapevine, TX
Keller Public Library, Keller, TX

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Have a great library or independent book store you love? Let us know!

Email us at [email protected]

Did you know that Shrek! was based on a book called Shrek!? Neither did we. And not just any book, but a book called Shrek! And Mike was all, "we totally have to read this book one day." Well kids, today is the day... Well, it’s not the day that we read it—that was a few days ago... And this is not the day that we recorded it—that was also a few days ago. But TODAY is the day that the episode about the book and about the movie based on the book that inspired the episode drops. Well, not today, unless you listen on 8.16.26. This is the day that you are listening to the episode that dropped on that day that we recorded after we read the book, well after watching the movie it was based on.

Mike and David both saw the movie but don’t remember much about it. But we do know this: the book is a lot of fun. There’s Shrek, who is more disgusting and vile than any creature depicted in cartoon world. There’s all kinds of fun rhythms as it goes back-and-forth and back-and-forth and hither and yon. It’s silly, random, whacky, and, as Mike put it, “a mixture of rhymey timey thingies and stuff that doesn’t.” There’s even a knight who smotes! And a hall of mirrors! Such a fun book. Check it out.

If you like monsters and scary stuff:  R. L. Stine’s Monster Blood
And there’s a lot of monsters and scary stuff in Ingri and Edgar D’Aulaires’s Book of Greek Myths.

And now a word from our sponsors. (Well, not really sponsors, just places we love to get books from and hope that you'll go to if you need one).

Books in Stock in Wooster, OH

A House with Books in Keller, TX
River Forest Public Library, River Forest, IL
Grapevine Public Library, Grapevine, TX
Keller Public Library, Keller, TX

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Have a great library or independent book store you love? Let us know!

Email us at [email protected]

In a very special back to school episode, the Dads discuss I Need a NEW BUTT! (Originally published in the U. K. as I Need a New Bum, but America!) by Dawn McMillan. Probably not found on many Summer Reading Lists, butt enjoyable none the less. Also this is the Dads’ first battery powered book, which gets to 88mph in no time and takes the Dads on a trip down memory lane and going back in time to the past with a deep discussion of the wonderful song Huey Lewis and the News's “I Need a New (Drug) Butt!” And we paraphrase.

Butt we digress. Enjoy the butt jokes. And the puns, toot. And them dern toot noises. And the euphemisms. Sorry, boyz will b boyz, a.b.c. D.M.P. There's whole lotta laughin’ goin’ on.

And, how did they like the book? Let’s just say David shows his before Mike shows his. Mike gets into his busta rhymes rewriting the rhymey rhymes, cuz that's how he chimes.

If you’d love this episode, you’ll love these, toot.

Dr. Seuss’ Fox in Socks
Alan Katz, parts one and two

And now a word from our sponsors. (Well, not really sponsors, just places we love to get books from and hope that you'll go to if you need one).

Books in Stock in Wooster, OH

A House with Books in Keller, TX
River Forest Public Library, River Forest, IL
Grapevine Public Library, Grapevine, TX
Keller Public Library, Keller, TX

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Have a great library or independent book store you love? Let us know!

Email us at [email protected]

It’s David’s first time to read the world-famous series, Amelia Bedelia! And what better place to start than Amelia Bedelia and the Baby! aka Tarnation! That was Plum Fun! Mike read this with his girls when they were young. He (and they) liked it then and he—nope, not gonna do it. Not gonna tell you. Wouldn't be prudent. And David, well he—wait a second. Trying to trick me again? Sorry I’m not falling for that. You gotta listen.

We will tell you, the Dads had fun talking about the book to the surprise of absolutely no one! The story arc is discussed, disgust is discussed. Just kidding that was fun to type though. (Mike thought it was discuss-ting).

There's four shadowing five shadowing, there's even two shadowing, just a lot of shadowing going on. There's history: we discover how sliders were invented! Yum Yum Yum! And speaking of food there's berries and raspberry tarts and other food stuff like stuntloaf. Warning: do not (repeat) DO NOT listen to this if you are hungry.

Seriously, folks, as part of the “I Can Read” series, let’s just say that this book is good to read to kids who need help reading, and therefore are learning. Lots of fun. And learning. And reading.

The illustrations are done in David's second favorite art form/illustration method: for those who are new that would be ink and watercolor. And what is David's first favorite you say? (If you didn't say that, you should have), that would be well let's just say it rhymes with rayon.

If you liked this episode, you'll LOVE these:

We love bonnets that remind us of Laura Ingalls Wilder:
Little House in the Big Woods: the Dads Learn to Smoke a Deer
Who was Laura Ingalls Wilder: Cliff's Notes and Spoiler Alerts

Books about fun girls:
Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus: We Didn't Get on Board With This One!
Ivy and Bean and Stella: What's up with Your Spleen?

And now a word from our sponsors. (Well, not really sponsors, just places we love to get books from and hope that you'll go to if you need one).

Books in Stock in Wooster, OH

A House with Books in Keller, TX
River Forest Public Library, River Forest, IL
Grapevine Public Library, Grapevine, TX
Keller Public Library, Keller, TX

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Have a great library or independent book store you love? Let us know!

Email us at [email protected]

David and Mike enter the world of Greek mythology...but first..

December 1978. Dallas, Texas. David's French grandmother, Tia (which is Spanish for aunt, but that's what they called her. And she wasn't really his grandmother, but his mother's aunt by marriage who raised her from 12 years old (his mom was 12, not her aunt, his Tia) hence Tia. Why Spanish and not Tante which is French for aunt? Because Texas. A lot of her nieces and nephews called her Tante Aline, Aline being her first name) gave David Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths. How did he like it? Well, he re-read it and recorded a podcast episode with his friend Mike about it 47 1/2 years later, so listen and find out.

...and what a weird, wonderful, and sometimes violent world it is. The predecessors to Zeus and the Olympians, the world's first birth by B section. That's right. Athena sprouted from Zeus' brain. No doctor necessary. There's Ares the god of war and his sidekick Eris the goddess of troublemaking, and David's daughter's favorite Artemis, the goddess of the hunt,  because, "if you mess around with her, you're kinda cooked." Turns out Greek mythology is littered (literally?) with people who defy, ignore, or disrespect the gods. Delaney is right. Kinda cooked.

One of the few mortals who respects Artemis and is such a good hunter and a good dude, she respects him and is therefore never cooked is the Irish god O'Ryan—or is it Orion? In any event, he now wears the most famous belt in the northen hemisphere.

There are so many more interesting gods, goddesses, hereos and heroines, tales that tell us where words came from like echo and narcissist and so many more!! The D’Aulaires’ (yes, “s’ “ is correct. Trust us. It’s discussed b’us.) Book of Greek Myths is a great introduction to Greek mythology especially for kids with beautiful artwork by the D'Aulaires. Recommended by the Dads, the D, and the Dentists. 5 out of 5. We also debut a new feauture:  Dad Jokes:  If you can't find one, write one.

Check it out.

If you liked this episode, you'll LOVE these:

Where did Delaney's love of Greek Myths take her? Why, Percy Jackson, of course.
Because the Dads talked about it, check out our special July 4th episode
Dan Gutman. Part One and Part Two
Dan Yaccarino:  Part Uno, Part Due
Lisa Desimin:  Part One, Part Two

And now a word from our sponsors. (Well, not really sponsors, just places we love get books from and hope that you'll go to if you need one).

Books in Stock in Wooster, OH

A House with Books in Keller, TX
Talking Animals Books in Grapevine, TX
River Forest Public Library in River Forest, IL
Grapevine Public Library
Keller Public Library

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Have a great library or independent book store you love? Let us know!

Email us at [email protected]

Couldn’t wait for part two with illustrator/author Lisa Desimini? Now you don’t have to.

Lisa, Mike, and David continue their conversation with some rainy weather, 64 (or 64,000?) crayons, and a culinarily interesting conversation about marshmallows. It’s yummy.

We discuss The Fleatastics, Lisa’s “second funny book”, how she came up with the idea, and how she discovered that she’s funny: her editor told her she’s hilarious.

Speaking of origin stories, Mike tells us how we came talk with our first author guest Dan “The Man” Gut “The” Man and many of his friends. And one of their friends, i.e., a.k.a., etc., Lisa.

In part one, we discussed My Beautiful Child, She Sang Promise, in this episode we talk about Fleatasticks and Fire Pups and o’er stuffs.

If you liked this episode, you’ll love these other author interviews:

Our Dan Dutman episode without Dan:  Gutman:  It’s Halloween I’m Turning Green

And our two episodes with Dan: Where are Dr. Carbles Marbles! and where's my Pfeffernusse? 

Lisa’s friend author/ illustrator Dan Yaccarino on Sorrento, Piccolo, and Jacques Cousteau, parte uno

El Deafo and when kids are inspired

Future episode: Most Marshmallows by Rowboat Watkins

And now a word from our sponsors. Well, not really sponsors, just places we like to get books and hope that you'll go to if you need one:

David’s newest favorite book store in beautiful Golden, BC, Canada:  Four Points Books. It’s in an old building with new books on the first floor and gently used books on the second floor. David and his girls may have bought one or two or seven books there. Shh. Tax deductible.

Books in Stock in Wooster, OH

A House with Books in Keller, TX
Talking Animals Books in Grapevine, TX
River Forest Public Library in River Forest, IL
Grapevine Public Library in Grapevine, TX
Keller Public Library in Keller, TX

Don’t live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth or Chicago areas? Tell us about your favorite library or independent book store in your town. Do you have questions, comments, concerns, or the best Dad Joke ever:

Email us at [email protected]

It’s time for another guest!

An author? Sort of. Another daughter? Yes, but not ours’s.

It’s Illustrator/author Lisa Desimini!!! I mean-ie, we talk about books so why not have people who illustrate and write books, right?
Lisa, disseminate de Samini disseminate den't se meany, Desimini is the illustrator and/or author of over 30 children’s books. Mike and David have read a number of them and loved all of them. She is our sixth author to chat with us on the podcast and if you include our daughters, our 12th guest. And after you listen to this episode, you’ll understand why she definitely ranks in our top 20.

Seriously, we have a great conversation and a fun time hangin' with Lisa. And talking about her many books. And we had so much fun, we had to split it into two episodes. So heeeere’s part one where we blah blah yada yada blah. Please enjoy.

In part one, we discuss My Beautiful Child which Lisa wrote and her husband Matt illustrated, She Sang Promise, Lisa gives us so many gifts and insights about illustrating and creating—ok, here’s an example:  “That’s what’s great about children’s books:  they’re deceptively simple. Every time you read it, you see something new.” Or, as Mike comments, you read and you read and you... and even the 45th time, “There’s always something new to discover.” “Magical things like that happen all the time in the world of children’s books.” What's that, you say? What magical bread things? Listen and find out.

If you liked this episode, you’ll love these other author interviews:

Dan Yaccarino on Sorrento, Piccolo, and Jacques Cousteau, parte uno

Where are Dr. Carbles Marbles! and where's my Pfeffernusse?

And now a word from our sponsors. Well, not really sponsors, just places we like to get books and hope that you'll go to if you need one:

David’s new favorite book store in Calgary, AB, Canada:  Books Between Friends a very local bookstore that donates all of its profits to charity.
Books in Stock in Wooster, OH

A House with Books in Keller, TX
Talking Animals Books in Grapevine, TX
River Forest Public Library in River Forest, IL
Grapevine Public Library in Grapevine, TX
Keller Public Library in Keller, TX 

Don’t live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth or Chicago areas? Tell us about your favorite library or independent book store in your town. Do you have questions, comments, concerns, or the best Dad Joke ever:

Email us at [email protected]

Indy’s Pension? Hey, a Raider of the Lost Ark deserves to retire in comfort. Aaaaand in a very special July 4 episode, the Dads celebrate the 250th birthday of our great nation. Mike and David return to the Who/What was/is series to discover what is the Declaration of Independence by reading and then discussing What is the Declaration Independence? by Michael C. Harris. To follow half of the rules of Seinfeld, there will be no hugging. But there will be some learning. A whole lot of learning going on. So much so in fact that we debut a “things that we do a lot in our show“ a.k.a. feature called IDNKT aka “I did not know that.”

Even though David was an American history, major, and Mike is, well, pretty smart, and they both grew up watching Schoolhouse Rock on Saturday mornings eating Captain crunch out of giant bowls while their parents slept off hangovers (a message to therapists from Gen X: “you’re welcome!”), they still learned so much about this amazing document. For example—nope. Not gonna give you anything. Just check it out. Oh although, as is often the case with learning, answers begat questions. For example: to paper or to parchment? That is the question. The answer? Again, check it out!

If you liked this episode, you’ll love these:

For more American history check out
George Washington’s Teeth, Ruby Bridgeswhere we talk about not one but two books about her, and A Juneteenth Jamboree.

Like The Who/What Was/Is Series? Check out Who was Laura Ingles Wilder?.

No relevance. We just really like this one: Mrs. McTats and her House Full of Cats. Relevant because it’s from last year (episode 3 three(!))so it’s history? Again, no relevance.

And now a word from our sponsors. Well, not really sponsors, just places we like to get books and hope that you'll go to if you need one:

Books in Stock in Wooster, OH

A House with Books in Keller, TX
Talking Animals Books in Grapevine, TX
River Forest Public Library in River Forest, IL
Grapevine Public Library in Grapevine, TX
Keller Public Library in Keller, TX 

Don’t live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth or Chicago areas? Please tell us about your favorite library or independent book store in your town. Or if you have questions, comments, concerns, or want to send us your favorite Dad Joke:

Email us at [email protected]

If this is it Monsters, don't eat broccoli.
The Dads judge a book by its cover:  we liked it. So there. Mike did a slight rewrite. He took some liberties with the words nothing major, just a word here maybe a syllable there, and the Dads test the results, they take it for test drive, if you will.

It’s a fun read with monsters doing all kinds of fun things—eating trucks and tractors and toys all washed down with fruity oil, shopping with vim and vigor—but they don’t eat broccoli. 🥦

If you liked this episode, you’ll like this:

More mayhem with green stuff: How Martha Saved her Parents from Green Beans

Don’t like broccoli or other things green? You’ll love Pinkalicious!

And now a word from our sponsors. Well, not really sponsors, just places we like to get books and hope that you'll go to if you need one:

Books in Stock in Wooster, OH

A House with Books in Keller, TX
Talking Animals Books in Grapevine, TX
River Forest Public Library in River Forest, IL
Grapevine Public Library in Grapevine, TX
Keller Public Library in Keller, TX

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

Please, please tell us about your favorite library or independent book store.

Email us at [email protected]