Judy Schachner

In this adorable picture-book from the creator of the Skippyjon Jones books - the author's name is listed on the book-cover as Judith Byron Schachner - an elderly Siamese cat named Simon begins to give up on life, despite the love and care of his devoted human family. Recalling the glories of his kittenhood, and the pleasures of his middle cat-hood, our feline hero concludes that he is of no more use, and that all his family have left for him is pity. But then... a small furry bundle is show more placed on his belly, one lazy day, and Simon discovers that he still has an important role to play!

Written with sensitivity and compassion, The Grannyman offers a perceptive look at an older cat's life, gently highlighting the fact that boredom and lack of purpose can be as bad for animals, as for humans. As someone with an older cat myself, Simon's story really tugged at my heartstrings, while the humor - Simon's memories of training the household's new "pets" (better known as children), for instance - brought a smile to my face. The artwork is quite expressive, really capturing Simon's emotions, from happy to sad. As other reviewers have noted, this author/illustrator really knows cats! I've never been particularly drawn to the Skippyjon Jones books, but having read The Grannyman, I think I might give them a try... show less

Siamese kitten Skippyjon Jones gets placed in a timeout after scribbling all over the freshly painted walls, and his mother warns him to behave or he'll be in the doghouse. But Skippyjon Jones, who dreams of being the sword-fighting chihuahua Skippito, thinks being in the doghouse sounds like a fabulous idea! As his mother and sisters go off to watch TV without him, Skippyjon Jones begins to imagine himself as Skippito visiting the doghouse and freeing them from the clutches of the evil show more Bobble-ito.

There are several good things about this Skippyjon Jones book. For instance, it highlights the fun children can have the good-old fashioned way. Without TV or any fancy technology but instead only a few props, Skippyjon Jones creates a whole fantasy world where he is the hero. The rhyming language is amusing and will appeal to young readers. And the illustrations are delightful with fun little details and the depiction of Skippyjon Jones as an absolutely adorable fuzzy kitten with giant ears.

But then there are the down sides. The first is more minor in my eyes - Skippyjon Jones misbehaves and is put in timeout, but he is not in the least hampered by this and does not appear to realize that his actions in drawing all over the walls were wrong. This is probably not the best lesson to send to a small child. The second is Skippyjon Jones alter-ego as the Mexican chihuahua Skippito. I have no doubt that the author has the best of intentions in giving Skippyjon Jones this alter-ego and presenting children with another culture and another language. Indeed, I have seen some Skippyjon Jones books and products that seem to embrace this well. But this particular title is not one of them. The idea of the outsider "other" (even if he is trying to pretend to be one of them as a chihuahua) coming in to save the day has so many layers of negative implications associated with cultural imperialism. And, in employing such language as "leetle" and plot devices as wrapping Skippito up in a tortilla as part of his rescue plan, the author seems to be mocking Mexicans more than anything else (regardless of whether this was the intention). It strikes the (adult) reader as a bad old Western in which you can forgive the latent racism only by declaring it a product of its time. But with the modern era, this should not be considered in good taste and I would be hesitant to introduce a young child to another culture in such a careless way. While the young readers may not consciously grasp all these implications, no doubt they absorb them subconsciously. show less

One time a patron at the library asked me if we had any racist books in the children's section of the library (it was for a school assignment). Skippyjon Jones was the first thing that popped into my head because he fantasizes about being a Mexican Chihuahua stereotype (see: http://www.tuvez.com/five-stereotypical-talking-chihuahuas/). So, right off the bat, you know I'm not a big fan of these books. But I took a few minutes and listened to the author read this newest installment on the show more accompanying CD and I have to say I was very nearly charmed by her narration. It made me think, "Is this really any worse than Fancy Nancy fantasizing about being a stereotypical fancy French lady?" But, yes, it is worse because the French are not a marginalized community often subjected to harmful generalizations in this country. I continue to reject Skippyjon Jones, while also admitting that I see the appeal. Before you dismiss these books as harmless, I think you have to ask yourself how you'd feel reading one aloud to children of Hispanic descent. Maybe you'd be fine with it. Maybe, like me, you'd feel pretty uncomfortable.

See also: http://decoloresreviews.blogspot.com/2013/04/skippyjon-jones-and-big-bones.html?... show less

My first thoughts are what lovely pictures. I could just sit here flipping back and forth examining them over and over.
But this story about Sarabella and her tendency to daydream is just as lovely. The story explores the difficulty of turning off the daydream button and turning on the school button. And for Sarabella, maybe finding a little bit of balance between the two.