Customer Reviews

Skippyjon Jones in the Doghouse

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

We picked this book up with a CD of the author reading the story through school last year. My son loves it still 6 months later & I find it pretty amusing myself. We have had side discussions about time out, not drawing on the walls, how watching tv is a privilege, using your imagination, and how sassing your parents ("You're not the boss of me!") will get a child in trouble for sure. My son even took it to preschool last year to share with his class. Since it is about cats, I think young girls would be entertained as well. As a parent, I recommend this book particularly if you can get it with the read-along DVD.

Your kid may be fascinated by this book without ever understanding why. Is that a good thing? Well, probably -- I'm one of those who feel that literature should stimulate and challenge the brain. But I think most kids might find it hard to follow the wild Spanglish wordplay, to get all the jokes, or even to follow the storyline at first.

Our young reader, whose reading skill is generally higher than the age range proposed here, had trouble figuring out whether Skippyjon really is a cat or a dog. That's partly due to the character's insistence on his alternate identity in the text, but it's also partly due to the fact that the illustrator has exaggerated the cat's doglike characteristics (notably the ears).

In this book Skippyjon is banished to his room for a timeout, where he uses the opportunity for a flight of fancy in his closet. His imagination is wild to the point of being surreal, in my view. That's not necessarily bad, but it is unusual, and you might need a second or third reading to work out just what is happening, and who the "characters" are, and why they are singing such strange and silly songs.

On one hand, the audacity of the text could be viewed as refreshing. But I am tempted to wonder whether Ms. Schachner dashed off this manuscript after sipping a bit too much Mezcal. Since she's an artist, one might say that would be in character, but I have no similar theory to explain why the publisher did not require more tweaking -- just a few things here or there to clarify the story and make it accessible to more readers.

Who knows, perhaps one needs to read the first book in the series to really "get it" -- but that's not a good thing, in my view. Anyway, it is fun to read aloud IF you are familiar with Spanish phonetics and Mexican foods. But if you don't know that "Holy Jalapeno" is alliterative, or how a small white blankie might resemble a tortilla, then you might find the book even more confusing.

Based on just this one book, I'm not ready to buy into the allegations of ethnic stereotyping. Chihuahua is a placename in Mexico, and the dogs are named after it. So, if an *imaginary* cat *imagines* that he is a chihuahua dog, then it makes sense for him to imagine that he speaks Spanish. But since he is NOT REALLY a Mexican dog, it makes sense that he'd only speak a limited amount of often-mangled Spanish -- which is what one finds in the book -- and that his understanding of Mexican culture is superficial.

But I'd want to see other books in this series before reaching a conclusion on that topic. My opinion of this one is that it is quite fresh and the artwork appropriate to the silly subject. And for the past day or so I have been watching a kid picking this book up over and over, often in preference to a pile of other books available. That must count for something!

My 6 year old daughter loves Skippy and we were both excited when we saw this, the second Skippyjon Jones book! The first book was fabulous! All of our family (dad, three daughters ranging in ages from 6-16, and myself) adored Skippy. The rhymes are fun to do and the book has a lot of energy, just like the first. Of course this book is similar to the first--it is a children's book and we bought it specifically because we liked the format of the first book. We are already anticipating the third book and will happily buy it when it comes out. Skippy is an extremely imaginative, high-energy, creative boy kitty who, like all little kids at one time or another, does naughty things. That doesn't make this a bad book, if anything, it should be a way to have a conversation with your young child about appropriate behavior. In the end, this was a fun, fast-paced fictional children's book that all three of my children laughed at and listened to when I read it--and that's saying something considering the older two are 11 and 16!!!!

My son is 2.5 and received this book as a gift and it is now in constant rotation during bedtime reading. He loves to look at the pictures, especially Skippy putting on his Skippito costume and has been heard around the house saying Skippito and Skippy John Jones. I know he is a little young to truly appreciate the entire story but he loves the rhymes and illustrations and am sure this book will grow with us. We can't wait for more adventures with Skippy!

The story has some similarities to the original, but they are ones that children will appreciate. The humor flows more from the illustrations than the text in this sequel, so be sure to linger over each page and savor the pictures! My first-grader loved this as much as the original, in large part because of the extremely funny drawings -- those who were disappointed must've rushed through the story without looking at the pictures.

This book is sooo cute and funny. The adults of our household even enjoy reading it over and over. Great pictures and what an imagination that little Skippyjon Jones has!

My daughter and I have been waiting for Ms. Schachner to write the 2nd Skippyjon Jones book, and here it is. We were not disappointed, and it was well worth the wait!

Excellent story and pictures for children and adults of all ages.

We just love the part with the tortilla! Go little Skippito!

The Skippyjon Jones books are the best!

Ms. Schachner, please keep the Skippyjon Jones books coming!

Kathy & Mandy

I love the art work in this book. It's a great book for any cat lover, especially Siamese cats.

Author of "Hobo Finds A Home" editor "Of A Predatory Heart"

The Skippyjon Jones books are our very favorite children's books, and this one is my personal fave. Great story...fun to read...a wonderful shared experience. My grandson loves these books so much that he has asked for a "Skippyjon Jones" party for his 5th birthday. I have given many of these away, and always get positive feedback.

My daughters-7 & 5, and I laughed so hard we had tears rolling down our face! A great follow up to the first book. The illistrations are WONDERFUL, and the expressions Judy Schachner uses are just perfect. Skippyjon Jones has found a special place in our hearts and all three of his adventures have become our favorite childrens books. My husband loves the books, but has more fun watching me read the books with our daughters because we have so much fun!