Skippyjon Jones

Title: Skippyjon Jones
Author/Illustrator: Judy Schachner
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Copyright: 2003
ISBN: 0525471340


Skippyjon is a Siamese cat with big ears and an even bigger imagination. One morning, his mother finds Skippyjon making mischief and sentences him to his room to do some "thinking." Instead of thinking, Skippyjon decides to do some bouncing. He bounces so high on his bed that he can see himself in his mirror and realizes that he isn't a cat after all. He's a Chihuahua! Donning his best Mexican accent, Skippyjon heads forth through his closet door and into the deserts of Me-hee-co where his alter ego Skippito Friskito saves the day for Chihuahuas everywhere.

Skippyjon Jones is an absolutely fabulous book. Children young and old will love the story of a cat-turned-dog and his great adventure. Schachner's writing is hilarious and her illustrations are just as good. The idea behind this book is so original that it was destined to be a hit before the first words were penned. I believe that Skippyjon Jones will fill the bookshelves of libraries, classrooms, and homes for years to come.

This book would be great for use in a bilingual Spanish/English library because of the use of both languages in this book. I think that children who come from Mexico would think it is very funny because of the silly uses of the Spanish words and they would also enjoy the fact that part of it is set in Mexico, even if only in Skippyjon's imagination. This book would also be a great way to introduce a unit on fiction writing for older students. A librarian could focus on Skippyjon's imagination and the story he tells in order to get kids thinking outside of the box.