Skippyjon Jones

Am I the only person who loathes this book? It makes me cringe. The Spanglish is borderline offensive. Skippyjon is cute, but why do all the chihuahuas have to constantly talk about frijoles and banditos? Ugh, just awful. Maybe I'm hypersensitive due to my proximity to the Mexico border but it just seems really, really ill advised. Please note, I did ask 2 actual Spanish speaking coworkers if they found it offensive and they did not, so it's probably just me.

THREE STARS ! Judy Schachner’s Skippyjon Jones is a playful picture book about a Siamese kitten with a wild imagination who envisions himself as a heroic chihuahua. The story explore themes of identity and self expression, encouraging creativity in young readers. Schachner’s rhyming text and lively wordplay enhance the book’s whimsical tone, while her vibrant illustrations capture Skippyjon’s boundless energy. However, the use of Spanish and exaggerated accents raises concerns about cultural representation. While engaging, the book requires a critical lens when discussing diversity, Children enjoy its humor and adventure, but educators should address its portrayal of language and identity. Ultimately, Skippyjon Jones is a fun show more yet complex book that sparks the imagination while inviting discussions on respectful cultural representation.

Personally, I love these books. I grew up reading all of them. It was exciting to see and read the adventures Skippyjon always got himself into. I gave the book a three because, although yet fun and thrilling, I find other books more educational and enlightening. show less

Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner is the first in a twenty book picture book series about a Siamese kitten who looks like a Chihuahua and thinks he's one too. His mother cat, though, isn't convinced.

Skippyjon Jones lives in a perpetual fantasy world where he is convinced he's a small yapping dog who speaks Spanish. Except he's a small, delusional kitten, who according to Jane H. Hill, speaks Mock Spanish.

As a series, the Skippyjon Jones books have even inspired a masters thesis on its repeated use of Mock Spanish (Analyzing the use and function of Mock Spanish in the picture book collection Skippyjon Jones by Alicia Juncos Zori).

So far I've read exactly two of the books, the first and the last (Cirque de Olé). I found the Mock Spanish show more more prevalent in the latest book as the focus was on Skippyjon Jones joining a flea circus. And of course, the fleas spoke the pseudo Spanish of Speedy Gonzalez of the 1950s Warner Bros. cartoons (the most recent iteration actually speaks both fluent Spanish and English).

I think Skippyjon Jones in the first book was supposed to be more about a child's (or in this case, kitten's) over active imagination and the silliness of a cat trying to be a dog. What it seems to have become over the course of the series is a tale of a misappropriation of culture.

For this first book, though, I'm still giving it a high rating because by itself it's about play and imagination, and not the "humorous" sounds of Mock Spanish. show less

One of my college professors read this book to us, and I've never seen so many 20-something boys giggling like a bunch of buffoons. This is the adorable first in a series of adventures starring a siamese who thinks he's a chihuahua. Required for reading: a high-pitched mexican voice. !yo quiero!

Skippyjon Jones has a super hyperactive imagination that tends to run away with him. His mother sends him to his room to do some deep thinking about the fact that he is a Siamese cat, but instead Skippyjon gets lost in his imagination again.

I loved this book. The illustrations are fun and compliment the story very nicely.

I would use this book in a unit about imagination and storytelling. I would have students make up their own imaginary adventure for Skippyjon.

Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese cat with a very vivid imagination. He loves to pretend to be other animals, a Chihuahua in particular. He transforms into the great sword fighter, El Skippito, and takes a trip into his closet to Old Mexico where he meets lots of little Chihuahuas. They ask him, “Do you like rice and beans?” and he answers, “Si, I love mice and beans.” He becomes their hero and must defeat Alfredo Buzzito, El Blimpo Bumblebeeto Bandito, the villain who steals their frijoles. (Doesn’t his name just roll off your tongue?)

This book is great fun to read aloud with a Spanish accent, and Judy Schachner gets you right into the story with her phonetic spelling and intriguing names. It also has wonderful alliteration and show more amusing rhyme-y poems. This book will have your kids rolling on the floor laughing at Skippyjon Jones’ mischievous antics. show less

Skippyjon Jones is Siamese cat who wants to be a Chihuahua. He often pretends he is a Spanish bandit named El Skippito. After being sent to his room for being naughty, Skippyjon enters his closet which is a pretend world of Spanish, other Chihuahua bandits and a bumblebee that steals beans. Skippyjon is asked to be the hero and save them from the bumblebee. It turns out his make believe world is just him getting into mischief once again and having to go to bed early.
Although the book offers delightful pictures, Spanish words, and some predictable text, the book has underlying stereotypical assumptions about Mexican culture. Parts of the book seem to mock the culture and
poke fun at the things the other Chihuahuas do (fiestas, siestas, show more etc.). Skippyjon is also a very naughty kitty cat and seems to enjoy the bad behavior which is encouraged by his lack of being taught to do better. Because the plot unfolds by Skippyjon getting into his birthday items as he was asked not to, I don't believe this is a good choice for a book in a classroom. I also believe that it could offend Spanish ELLs because of the stereotypes used and the accent that Skippyjon 'uses' to speak broken Spanish.
Media: colored pencils, pastels, and chalk
Genre: Picture book, predictable text ("my name is Skippito Friskito" is the beginning line of several songs in the story), animal fantasy. show less