Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 49
 Read it again Mom!!! September 19, 2009
PMJMV (Bethlehem, GA, USA)
I have a 4 year old who thinks the book is awesome! He walks around the house saying "Skippyjon Jones" over and over again! I recommed the book to anyone who has a child with a great imagination!! They can get very involved in the book and the little rhymes are very fun to say! As an adult I think the book is very easy to read and not too long so as to lose the child's attention.
Enjoy!
El Skippito Friskito is Baaaaack! September 12, 2009
H. Sapiens (Sacramento, CA United States)
Skippy is back and as obsessed with chihuahuas as ever.
My little Skippyjon Jones is 5, and she LOVES this book. It is fun with vibrant colors, beautiful expressive illustrations, and catchy phrases. She has the "clap, clap, clap" down pat. The illustration of him jumping on his big boy bed is priceless - he is just so full of expression and so wonderfully done. I love the fact that Skippyjon demonstrates how a great imagination (and reading!!!) will take you anywhere - since his adventures begin from things he has read and continue in his closet. Elements of real life appear in his imaginary adventures - the 3 "goddesses" are really his sisters, their puppets, and a roll of toilet paper. Schachner is clear to let us know that in the end, which I think is great for striking a nice balance between what is real, imaginary, and playing with your siblings.
Schachner does a wonderful job actually making Skippy both identifiable as a boy and a cat. "This story will give you nightmares, boy! With an upset tummy and a puffy tail too - this story is taboo!" Later in the story, Skippy is frightened and sure enough - if you look at the illustration - has has a nice puffy tail. My daughter points it out every time. He also coughs up a hairball when stressed.
I also really appreciate the warmth between Skippyjon and Mama Junebug Jones (BTW, my daughter now calls me that - I think it's a compliment). He may not be a saint (certainly not, based on all the coloring on the walls), but she is sure to implore him to "think Siamese!" and has cute little names for him. When she catches him making a pyramid out of the litterbox, she calls him "little digger" - he calls her "Mummy" for obvious reasons. This warmth is carried from the other books, which we recently checked out.
There are a few little issues that may bother some adult readers. Skippyjon often speaks with "his best Spanish accent" which results in words being spelled phonetically (I appreciate this, because it encourages out-loud reading in character). However, there is also one more word spelled phonetically that may drive you bonkers - Finx, such as in "The Reedle of the Finx". At other times, Spanish itself is included, but Schachner does a great job always subtly slipping in an English definition (which I think is great). I have had to define papyrus to my daughter about a dozen times though.
We recently borrowed Skippyjon Jones, Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones, and Skippyjon Jones In The Doghouse from the library to see how they stacked up. I have to say - this one is a clear favorite. Big Bones was pretty flat for us. We were surprised to realize that they came with a CD of the story read by the author, which were GREAT. So, we pulled the one for Mummy Trouble as well. If you have a local library, I would suggest checking it out.
Bottom line: LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! I am considering pre-ordering Skippyjon Jones, Lost in Spice. If you enjoy this book with its focus on imagination, vibrant illustrations, and rhythmic prose, I think you would also enjoy Pumpkin Soup and Tatty Ratty by Helen Cooper (although they are not as funny).
loved by a 6 year old July 11, 2009
P. Merten (West Chester, PA)
My six year-old daughter loves all the Skippyjon Jones books and this one was no exception. Hilarious fun!
Geat book and CD!!! June 27, 2009
Marilyn R. Huber (Salem, OR)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I LOVE this series of books and so do children--especially those who know Spanish. They are SOOOOO surprised to see how it is mixed in with the English and in such a funny way. The CD's that go with the book are so good that I don't even try to read the books to the kids. The author does such a marvelous job of reading it with all the special accents, SINGING, and funny stuff I could never accomplish on my own--and I am a teacher!
Skippyjon Jones in Mummy Trouble June 26, 2009
D. Parkyn (Florida, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
My 8 year old can recite this story word for word and I can probably do most of it. It became a favourite in our house the moment we read it. The illustrations are as funny as the text. A classic kids kitty book.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 49
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