Module 6

Module 6
Skippyjon Jones

Summary
A young siamese kitten imagines himself to be anything but a cat.  His mother does not like that he acts like many other animals and not a cat.  She sends him to his room to think about it but his imagination is too great and he becomes a Chihuahua and goes on an adventure.  He finds his birthday pinata but his mother can't stay mad at him.

Citation
Schachner, Judy (2003). Skippyjon Jones. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Impressions
I really enjoyed this book.  I found myself doing my best hispanic voices to say the dialog.  It is a funny premise that this kitten wants to be all of these other animals.  I liked the rhythm of the book and the nonsense rhyming words in Spanish.  It really is a great book to read aloud.  Most the children I know of that have read or had it read to them have really enjoyed it.  You might not learn alot of real Spanish (thought there is some very real dialog), but it is a good time. 


Review

Constantinides, Judith. (2004) School Library Journal. Vol 50, Issue 1, p106.  Retrieved from Library & Information Science Source 2 Dec. 2013.

K-Gr 3-This is a wildly wonderful book about a hyperactive kitten, Skippyjon Jones, whose head and ears are too big for his body, and whose imagination is too intense for his mama. According to her, he needs to do some serious thinking about what it means to be a Siamese cat instead of a bird (Skippyjon always wakes up and eats worms with his feathered friends). She sends him to his room, where he imagines he is a Chihuahua ("My name is Skippito Friskito./I fear not a single bandito"). Chock-full of rhyming chants and Spanish expressions, the feline's adventure as a doggy Zorro ends in chaos. His frazzled mother gives him a hug anyway and says, "Say good night, Skippyjon Jones." "Buenas noches, mis amigos," says the kitten, as he bounces on his bed all ready for another adventure. The buoyant and colorful cartoon illustrations match the exuberant text perfectly. Spanish-speaking children will be especially delighted by the words and humor; others may be a little bewildered by all of the foreign phrases and will need some explanation, but the story definitely has the potential of a fun read-aloud. A good multicultural offering.-


Use
This one would have to be a storytime book.  You could definately have some props like castanets to let the students know what they are.  It needs to be done with a good voice for the accent of the characters.