SKIPPYJON JONES CIRQUE DE OLÉ

"Circus berserkus!" Skippyjon Jones heads for the big top!

Everyone's favorite-ito Siamese kitty boy (who thinks he’s a Chihuahua) returns for his seventh full-length picture-book outing. This time he’s high-wire obsessed, much to Mama Junebug Jones’ chagrin. He performs tail-tingling tricks on the telephone wire, entertaining his sisters and the squirrels but distressing Mama. After a talking to, he’s shut in his room…but that never confines this “Chi-wu-lu.” He creates a disguise and escapes through his closet (read: imagination) to the “circus pooch-ito” to perform with his Chihuahua buddies, los chimichangos. They recruit him (after pumping up his músculos with a bike pump) to be the bottom of their tower of Chihuahuas. However, Putzi Shtrungleboot the Shtrongdog isn’t happy that they borrowed his costume, and he sends Skippito Friskito soaring up to the trapezes and safely home (via a cannon shot). Schachner’s latest is full of the same Spanglish wordplay, sly tongue-in-cheek humor and frenetic acrylic-and-ink illustrations of her previous titles. Some of the word humor will soar over the heads of Skippyjon’s fan base, but they won’t mind; the language sounds so infectious when read correctly. Thankfully, an included CD read by the author with music and sound effects offers an example for parents and librarians forced into multiple readings.

Olé, muchachos! Skippyjon Jones the handsome daredevil-ito! (Picture book. 4-8)