Skippyjon Jones |
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Author:
Judy Schachner
By Dutton Juvenile
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price: $15.99
Our Price: $7.00
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Product Description
Move over, Eloise and Olivia. Make room for SkippyjonJones, a Siamese kittenboy who can't resign himself to being an ordinary cat. Having a time-out in his room, he resorts to his imagination. Taking on the superhero persona of the great Spanish sword fighter Skippito, he has the adventure of his life, and readers are invited along. Zany, wild, and over-the-top, this utterly original book truly begs to be read aloud.
With the jiggly, effervescent outlines she used in I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie, the smudgy, tender expressiveness of The Grannyman, and a text worthy of a sitcom, Judith Byron Schachner has created a new cat character for all ages. ¡Olé!
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 TERRIBLE introduction for kids to Mexico/Spanish - FULL of STEREOTYPES, 2008-12-20
This is an extremely offensive portrayal of Mexico. It is about a cat who goes around as the chihuahua "Friskito Bandito" by night. It uses phrases like "Holy Guacamole," it has bands of Chimichanga Chihuahuas in the desert, it rhymes using words such as "indeed-o," and it asks you to speak broken English with a Spanish accent, among many other things. It is filled with nothing but stereotypes about Mexico and Mexican people.
Although some readers have said that they know Mexican kids who are not offended by it and like hearing the Spanish words in the story, I have found Mexicans, Mexican-Americans, and non-Mexican/Mexican-Americans alike to be extremely offended by it.
I would not want my kids' first impression of Mexico to be the one portrayed in the book - it would ingrain countless stereotypes into their heads. By reading this book to kids, it lets them know that these stereotypes and ways of thinking are okay in society today. The only positive use of this book that I can think of would be if one were to buy it to teach kids about stereotypes and about racism.
"If you have trouble seeing how this book is racist, imagine an African-American alternative: Skippyjon
pretends to be some other animal (I don't know, a monkey?), eats a lot of watermelon instead of beans,
and speaks fake Ebonics."
"I could barely believe it when I saw broken english being written out phonetically while a parathesis
states "in a spanish accent". Yes, let us learn how to properly imitate or mock those who speak english in
a different manner. I am very angry that such garbage would be given out to children who simply do not
need this extra incentive to learn the stereotypes of society"
"If you plan to teach your children how to live in this multicultural world, DO NOT read this to them."
-other readers with whom I wholeheartedly agree
As one parent wrote:
"I plan on complaining to the E.B. White Read Aloud Awards and encourage other parents to do the same."
Finally, some people seem not to be bothered by this book. Others, however, are extremely offended. Why, then, would we even consider buying or reading this book to any of our kids?
Better "multicultural" books suggested by other reviewers:
Oh, no gotta go! Susan Middleton Elya
The Three Pigs: Nacho, Tito and Miguel Bobbi Salinas-Norman
Spoon for every bite Joy Hayes
I love Saturdays and Domingos Alma Flor Ada
Chicks and Salsa Aaron Reynolds
"Abuelo and the three bears"
"Borreguita and the Coyote"
"The Empanadas that abuela made"
books by Susan Middleton Elya
Schachner is the best, 2008-12-10
If you haven't read this one yet, it is hilarious. Skippy sees himself in the mirror and in his little kitty brain he creates a chihuahua persona complete with imaginary amigos and even an antagonist. This book is really fun to read if you like to do voices, sound effects, songs and actions. And my daughter likes it too.
Just say no, 2008-11-26
We purchase books from Scholastic frequently and were shocked when we read these to our children. We had a sense of trust that the books our children get from Scholastic, through their classroom, promote valuable ideas of diversity and cultural understanding. We feel that these books failed to meet that expectation.
To put it more bluntly, these books are racist. The author is exploiting a demeaning stereotype of Mexicans and we refuse to perpetuate this stereotype for our children. The rhymes are silly, but the laughs are cheap and they don't educate. They pander to an insulting, pre-conceived notion that I would have hoped died with the Frito Bandito ads of the 1970's. Ms. Schachner insults the Spanish language by bastardizing much of her dialogue into Spanglish words that end in -ito. You can learn more Spanish by reading the menu at the Taco Bell than you can by reading these books.
We don't buy books from Scholastic in order to get our Cheech and Chong fix (",dude"). It's stunning that educators can promote a book whose plot can be summarized as a cat visits a bunch of Mexicans who mainly party and sleep but are too cowardly to seize back their beans from the boogeyman. In this context you have to wonder why we weren't treated to Siamese cats with schlocky and insulting faux-Asian accents that practice martial arts when fighting the sinister nemesis.
We expect Scholastic to understand that words and language are powerful. Publishers of children's books have a responsibility in that they open up conversations for children and expose them to ideas that help them relate to other people. These ideas are building blocks for young minds. They deserve a better foundation than these books have to offer.
Most Entertaining, 2008-11-04
My daughter is 5 and she LOVES reading the Skippyjon Jones books. There are places where we giggle and clap. I read to her every night and since adding these books I actually enjoy the fun that comes off the page. My job as a parent is to make learning fun and entertaining - and these books are both. El Skipito to the rescue!!
5 year old discovery, 2008-11-03
It has been so very difficult to find a series of books for my little one, that is until I came across this goofy siamese kitten and his broad imagination. She will not put the book down and when she does it is because she is asleep! I read the book to her everynight and the promise of such gets her jumping to brush her teeth and ready herself for bed. This loco kitten has captured the hearts of whole family and now getting her another book is easier for me!
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 636.825
EAN: 9780525471349
ISBN: 0525471340
Label: Dutton Juvenile
Manufacturer: Dutton Juvenile
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 32
Publication Date: 2003-09-15
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Studio: Dutton Juvenile |
