Just Dads Reading Books

We've had this book on our list for a long time and we're finally ready to tackle the behemoth that is Watership Down. Or at least one of us is. Maybe Matt is a coward, or maybe it's just a very big book that Matt didn't appropriately make time for. Either way, EJ is here with all the love in the world for the biggest bunny book there is. If you want to chat with us and recommend b...

Yuyi Morales is one of those picture book author/illustrators that truly feels like an artist first. Her books are stunning to behold and that's before you even get into the stories and messages. She also tells captivating tales about love, family, immigration, the environment, and art itself. And sometimes, it's just a perfect book about a toddler luchador... If you want to chat with us a...

EJ has had his heart ripped through a portal and smashed wide open. This book is a magical tale of empathy and care and go read it right now and what are you still doing here and sure listen to our show but just go read this book, okay?! If you want to chat with us and recommend books or tell us your reaction to book we've covered on the show, please email us at justdadsreadingbooks@gmail.com...

Our ongoing big project on JDRB is Matt and E.J's obsession with reliving Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. Today we barrel through the end of the "Guardian Arc" meaning it's time to talk about 3 young adult novels very quickly! If you want to chat with us and recommend books or tell us your reaction to book we've covered on the show, please email us at justdad...

Our first attempt to cover picture books was Jon Scieszka's Cowboy and Octopus. Since then, we've learned we can squeeze a lot more books into a single episode, so it was high time we came back around to cover more works by this hilarious author! If you want to chat with us and recommend books or tell us your reaction to book we've covered on the show, please email us at justdadsreadin...

We made a solemn vow last week. After getting excited for mediocre young adult fiction, we though it would be a good idea to return to where Just Dads Reading Books all began. I am sad to report this was not our best decision and for all of you Percy Jackson fans out there, I'm sorry. This guy just can't seem to win us over... If you want to chat with us and recommend books or tell us your...

Matt and EJ went on a trip to beautiful Portland, Oregon and made sure to stop by the massive Powell's Books. While there, they encountered a shelf of books recommended BY CHILDREN and decided to pick the book with the best pitch. Seance Tea Party, recommended by Avi, is that book and it means we get our first excuse to check out a graphic novel for the show! If you want to chat with us and re...

It's time for a first for JDRB. We haven't properly tackled poetry yet, despite a phase of trying to read poems at the end of episodes. But we stumbled upon an absolute must read by Julia Alvarez and we can't stop talking about it... If you want to chat with us and recommend books or tell us your reaction to book we've covered on the show, please email us at justdadsreadingbooks@gm...

We decided this week to read a stone cold classic and the book was so nice we recorded it twice. There's a first pass at this episode we recording that will now be lost to time, but never you worry because EJ and Matt are DADS which means we're used to telling the same jokes more than once. And besides, Holes rules and everyone knows it. You don't need us to tell you twice. If you want...

Terry Pratchett is back! And this time we're reading his Masterpiece, according to Neil Gaiman. This is the first book in the "Death" based Discworld series and it absolutely earned it's legendary status. We reckon with it brilliant pacing, hilarious wordplay, and come to some conclusion about our ongoing "Road to Pratchett" arc. If you want to chat with us and recommend bo...

It's a picture book episode! This time we're tackling Writer/Illustrator Peter H. Reynolds who has a sharp focus on artist expression and trying to encourage and uplift kids. Some of it reads like motivational speaking, but when it works it works exceptionally well! If you want to chat with us and recommend books or tell us your reaction to book we've covered on the show, please email...

On this special presentation of Just Sads Reading Books, Matt and EJ grapple with how to get your kids to read important books. Do our children care about Newberry medal winners, or is that just for us? Or is it all Captain Underpants? If you want to chat with us and recommend books or tell us your reaction to book we've covered on the show, please email us at justdadsreadingbooks@gmail.com Mu...

What an exciting week for everyone. EJ read AND watched, for the first time in his life, one of Matt's favorite movies, Howl's Moving Castle. Matt had never read the book, so they're both entitled to a bit of whimsy, charm, and magic and it'd be great if you joined in! If you want to chat with us and recommend books or tell us your reaction to book we've covered on the show, pl...

So today begins a project we've wanted to do for a long time. EJ and Matt both grew up on A Series of Unfortunate Events, and it's high time we relived it! We're starting really fast by burning through the first 3 books, The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, and The Wide Window, but we promise not every Lemony Snicket episode will be so many books at once. But let's see how the memo...

We missed our best friend in the whole world. We haven't seen what Timmy Failure is up to since episode 2 of the show and it was time to check in on our favorite Failure. This time: more plot, less polar bear... If you want to chat with us and recommend books or tell us your reaction to book we've covered on the show, please email us at justdadsreadingbooks@gmail.com Music by Russian Baths...

We're following up last week's heavy teen novel with a much lighter teen novel. IEitLoaC is a book about a girl with no arms. But more than that, it's like if Freaks and Geeks took place in an old western theme park. If you want to chat with us and recommend books or tell us your reaction to book we've covered on the show, please email us at justdadsreadingbooks@gmail.com Music by...

We found one! Today's book is a recent Science Fiction entry in the Young Adult category and I'll tell ya this: It does not hold back. We wondered aloud before whether sci-fi was at times too cerebral of a genre to be a mainstay in the world of young fiction, but The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera didn't get that memo. It visceral, authentic, and emotionally told and gets top ma...

It's time to dive into the deep end on our journey through children's fantasy books with Christopher Paolini's Eragon. It's a thick book about a fantasy word with magic and dragons, what more could you ask for? If you want to chat with us and recommend books or tell us your reaction to book we've covered on the show, please email us at justdadsreadingbooks@gmail.com Music by Ru...

We've got another week of PICTURE BOOKS! Last week was the patently fiction surrealism of David Wiesner and this week is a 180 degree turn into the non-fiction of Sophie Blackall. She covers a very broad range in the books she's written herself or illustrated for and we want to get a sense of what it's like to do heavy research for a children's book. If you want to chat with us and...

It's picture book time! David Wiesner is a THREE TIME Caldecott winner and felt deeply nostalgic for these two millennials. Come exam wordless children's fiction with us and what it means to engage in books WITH your kid. If you want to chat with us and recommend books or tell us your reaction to book we've covered on the show, please email us at justdadsreadingbooks@gmail.com Music by...

This week we grabbed a book off the shelf with no research ahead of time. Root Magic is a recent release and the cover looked cool and lemme tell ya we lucked out. An amazing story about American history, family, and the horror of authority and difficulty in trusting others. Please check out Root Magic with us. If you want to chat with us and recommend books or tell us your reaction to book we&#39...

We have a new quest on the show following our episode on Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. We loved the humor of Pratchett's fantasy setting but we felt like a young reader would need more a baseline to enjoy the parody. So now we begin our quest for good, simplistic and impactful fantasy books for kids so that by the time they're 12 or so they are fully Primed for Pratchett. If you want...

Last week we checked out a single picture book. This week, we're attempting to evolve our format for picture books by evaluating the work of a single Author or Illustrator. In this case, BOTH! Jon Klassen is an award winning children's book creator whose works evoke wholly unique and specific humor and setting that we can't get enough of! If you want to chat with us and recommend books...

That's enough of that sophisticated Young Adult stuff. It's time to get into the REAL LITERATURE. That's right, this is a show about children's books and it's high time we actually talked about a picture book. We start with one of the most abstract, bizarre picture books either of us have ever encountered, Cowboy and Octopus. From the creator of The Stinky Cheese Man comes this...

Your dads have never ventured into the Discworld of Terry Pratchett, and that's a real shame. So, for their first dive, they're going with book 1 of the City Watch series. It's a hilarious book that bring about some bigger questions about fantasy tropes and fantasy written for young people. If you want to chat with us and recommend books or tell us your reaction to book we've cover...