|
Otherwise, no complaints. Took a while to get to our house and the book was a little bent, but that could be blamed on the carrier.
To find a book that not only develops that skill, but also entertains children, is a rare and wonderful thing. Reviews that say this book is not funny or silly or amusing because it has racist undertones come from adults. The rhymes and silly invented words do more than make them laugh, they develop phonemic awareness (understanding that words are made up of a number of sounds or phonemes; ability to blend and segment words; ability to manipulate sounds to form different words). Yes, adults do decide which books children are exposed to, but they don't decide which books children will enjoy.
It is important for adults to understand that children have a very different concept of "real" and "make believe." A cat pretending to be a Chihuahua is make believe. I encourage parents to put aside their own prejudice thoughts and focus on the educational value of this book. Phonemic awareness is one of the most important components in developing a child's literacy ability, and very few books do it as well as Skippyjon Jones. The adventure he goes on to rescue beans in make believe.
That said, all the children I have worked with find this book hilarious. Follow it up with a lesson on tolerance and acceptance, along with a real dipiction of Mexican culture, and children will benefit tremendously. A child that is brought up in an environment that promotes tolerance and acceptance is not going to develop racist thoughts from a book. While their opinions are valid, children ultimately decide if a children's book is entertaining.
The illustrations in this book and throught-out the series are terrific. It's meant to be a door into the silliness and wonder of a time in life where you can live, like a cat, 9 different lives before lunch.It's particularly fun to note the details in his room that he incorporates into his pretend -- in this case, a pinata. This is about a child's imagination, not a nuanced treatise on another culture.
He is convinced he's not a Siamese Cat but a chihuahua -- a sword fighting chihuahua. He's also fond of rhymes and songs. All the Skippyjon Jones books are about a little boy kitten with big ears and a bigger imagination.
I've seen the occasional allegation that the books are somehow making fun of Mexicans. Skippyjon, with his out-sized ears, big blue eyes and boundless imagination, particularly leaps off the page. Skippyjon has the best adventured without ever leaving his room, because his imagination knows no limits.
This story, along with other books in the series, uses the occasional real Spanish word or phrase with Skippyjon's made up Spanish words -- often an English word with an "O" at the end.
It is especially fun when during an adventure of Skippy's imagination the dialog starts moving between spanish and english. My 5 year old granddaughter and I laugh and laugh every time we read this book. The author has created the most fabulous character in "Skippyjon Jones". Even if you don't speak or understand spanish it just adds a hysterical element to the story. I can't wait until she is old enough to read it to me and then it will take on a whole new element of enjoyment. The adventures of this little cat and his huge imagination is thoroughly entertaining for children and adults. Every character has a tongue twisting name that will keep you in stitches just trying to get the names out of your mouth.
My kids LOVE this book and crack up every time we go through it. Skippyjon has a wonderful imagination and takes himself on terrific adventures while secluded in his bedroom - usually in a timeout for doing something naughty.I love this book for many reasons but one of them is the way his Mama Junebug Jones speaks to him. She gets mad but she is always sweet, firm, and funny when talking to him.I really love the way the text flows, it is clever and fun to read out loud, especially with a muy muy soft voice.There is a lot to read with your best Spanish accent. Skippyjon Jones is one of the best children books. The illustrations are colorful and add to the imaginative story telling. Skippyjon Jones is a little kitty with an identity problem. We love the whole series. He thinks he's a Chihuahua.
|
