Skippyjon Jones in Mummy Trouble [Hardcover]

Judy Schachner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 2006 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Skippyjon Jones

El Skippito is back! Avoiding a lecture from Mama Junebug, the kitty boy slips into his closet . . . and finds himself in ancient Egypt. His doggy pals, Los Chimichangos, want to visit the Under Mundo—the underworld— where mummitos rest in peas. But they need El Skippito’s brains and courage to answer the riddle of theFinx and enter the mummy’s tomb. Our hero is up to the task, and he’s in for another grand and whirlwind adventure.

Full of Judy Schachner’s rollicking wordplay and bold, imaginative illustrations, Skippy’s latest outsize outing will tickle the funny bones and warm the hearts of his many amigos.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3–Another tale featuring the independent, stubborn Siamese kitten. Once again, Skippyjon dons mask and cape, enters his closet, and changes into El Skippito Friskito, an adventure-loving Chihuahua. Here, after daydreaming about ancient Egypt, he converts into his alter ego and meets his amigos (a pack of troublemaking poochitos) along the Nile River. Skippyjon fans will find much to like here–the amigos speak a slang of Spanish and English and spur the frightened kitten into confronting the Sphinx and a mummy–but the book may be a bit confusing for newcomers as there is no explanation of his transformation or his canine pals. Done in acrylics and pen and ink, the vibrantly colored illustrations add humor to the already silly story (the gang wants to visit the Under Mundo where mummitos rest in peas) and children will want to stop and pore over the details (the mummy is a Siamese). The text is lengthy, with several points of action, so it is recommended for readers who can follow the longer format. However, the narrative is broken up by songs and rhymes that will keep them laughing throughout. When Skippyjon returns to his (real) mummy, youngsters will feel as if they have been to ancient Egypt with him.–Susan E. Murray, Glendale Public Library, AZ
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Review

“When Skippyjon returns to his (real) mummy, youngsters will feel as if they have been to ancient Egypt with him.” —School Library Journal

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (October 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525477543
• ISBN-13: 978-0525477549
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 10.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,350 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Judith Byron Schachner has been illustrating and writing children's books since 1992 and has given numerous presentations in schools and libraries. Her workshops are designed to be warm and personal with a special regard for the less than stellar student.
"Kids love to review my rotten report cards and laugh out loud at a slide show involving 4 cats and a funeral. Teachers love the 'Seed Box' filled to the brim with a magical collection of 'Junk' to inspire the writer in all of us. Everyone loves to watch 'Don Juan Skippito Bumblito the Great Sword Fighter' come to life with pencil and paper. By the end of the day we all believe that the stories in our own lives are worth writing about."
Judith Byron Schachner grew up outside of Boston in the 1950's. Her early years were not easy: "Growing up we didn't have much money. My mother was very ill, and to make matters worse, I was extremely shy. All my teachers complained that 'Judith needs to speak up in class, Judith needs to improve in arithmetic, and Judith needs to finish her work on time.' But no one complained about my artwork. On paper I drew myself a world where mothers were healthy and teachers were kind. My life was perfection in pencil."
Judith graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art in 1973 with a BFA in illustration and went straight into the "greeting card factories, which included a stint at Hallmark. For five years I designed cute cards, sad cards, funny cards, and wedding cards. I was not having fun; in fact I never wanted to pick up a paintbrush again."
Married life changed many things for Judith. One clear advantage for her was that "for the first time in many years I could step off the 9 to 5 treadmill and devote all my energy to creating a portfolio of children's book art. That was until two little baby girls were born. Then motherhood became my favorite new job. Over the years I read hundreds of books to my daughters. Inspired by the art and words I was moved once again to finish my portfolio and take it on the road to New York. Around the same time I met Donna Jo Napoli who convinced Dutton Children's Books to let me illustrate her novel, The Prince of the Pond," published in 1992.
In 1995 Judith wrote and illustrated her first picture book, Willy and May, and has turned out a number of projects since then. "The wonderful thing about my job is that one day I can be writing about history, as I did in Mr. Emerson's Cook. The next day I'm drawing a wacky old woman for I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie. Or I can bring to life a beloved pet cat in my book The Grannyman. I live in a constant state of 3rd grade bliss - making up stories and drawing pictures. Isn't that what we all did as children?"
Several years ago the great author Lloyd Alexander stood in Judith's back yard admiring her daughters' Viking ship (as Judith puts it, that's another story). Working with Lloyd Alexander has been a dream come true for Judith: "Never in my wildest fantasies did I ever think that my art would inhabit his world of words."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny book., January 11, 2007

By 

T. Mahar (Hillsboro, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Skippyjon Jones in Mummy Trouble (Hardcover)

I like the fact that the book comes with a CD. I like being able to hear the flow of the story and pronunciation from the author.
Cute read!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Skippyjon is still the beeg Chihuaha, the whole enchilada dude!, November 10, 2006

By 

A. Patterson "mommyaub" (Orem, UT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Skippyjon Jones in Mummy Trouble (Hardcover)

My daughters and I could not get this book fast enough, and were not disapointed at all. As always, Judy Schachner had us laughing and quoting the book for days after. We have had the book now for almost 3 weeks, and the girls still ask for it almost everynight. The only thing we were sad about was that it had to end!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read Aloud for a library, February 14, 2007

By 

Marianne Reaves "Daniel P. Reaves" (Misawa(Air Force Base), Japan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Skippyjon Jones in Mummy Trouble (Hardcover)

Skippyjon Jones has become a favorite of the students in my library. They identify with the "spirit" in the kitty. Thanks Ms. Schachner for sharing your talent.