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Spice Cat
Skippyjon Jones: Lost in Spice will be a must-buy for Skippyjon Jones fans.
By: KJ Dell'Antonia
Posted: September 22, 2009 at 10:43 AM
Skippyjon Jones: Lost in Spice, in which the cat who thinks he’s a Chihuahua heads off to Mars, will be a must-buy for Skippyjon Jones fans. The story won’t disappoint. As usual, “Skippito” joins his band of Chihuahua comrades in an adventure that takes place nominally in his closet (but really in his imagination). This time, he travels to Mars, only to find it covered in chili powder and green Martians. There is singing, there is a plethora of Spanish and Spanish-esque words ending in ito, and, as always there is an utterly crazy, somewhat incoherent story with neither beginning nor end that somehow encapsulates the imaginative life of a preschooler. The joy of the Skippyjon Jones books has always been in their language, pictures, and sheer goofiness—not in a tightly wound plot. They also have, for Southwesterners, an over-the-top Tex-Mex flair (or Cal-Mex, if you prefer), like way too many sopapillas eaten too close to a mariachi band.
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Fear Factor:
(In reading Skippyjon, I’m always a little afraid the kids will get as lost in trying to figure out what’s going on as I do, but they just roll with it.) -
Heart:
(Always points for the warm relationship between rebellious Skippyjon and his long-suffering, tolerant kitty of a mama.) -
Attitude:
(I do note that Skippyjon does exactly what his mother told him not to do when he sprinkles the chili powder in his bed, but I let it go.) -
Psst: The book comes with a CD, so if you’ve never been sure what melody to attach to the songs sung by the Chihuahuas—which I’ve always given a Speedy Gonzales tune—now you’ll know.
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If You Like This: Nothing’s quite like Skippyjon, so look for the first book in the series.