Skippyjon Jones in Mummy Trouble
Kindergarten-Grade 3–Another tale featuring the independent, stubborn Siamese kitten. Once again, Skippyjon dons mask and cape, enters his closet, and changes into El Skippito Friskito, an adventure-loving Chihuahua. Here, after daydreaming about ancient Egypt, he converts into his alter ego and meets hisamigos(a pack of troublemaking poochitos) along the Nile River. Skippyjon fans will find much to like here–theamigosspeak a slang of Spanish and English and spur the frightened kitten into confronting the Sphinx and a mummy–but the book may be a bit confusing for newcomers as there is no explanation of his transformation or his canine pals. Done in acrylics and pen and ink, the vibrantly colored illustrations add humor to the already silly story (the gang wants to visit the Under Mundo where mummitos rest in peas) and children will want to stop and pore over the details (the mummy is a Siamese). The text is lengthy, with several points of action, so it is recommended for readers who can follow the longer format. However, the narrative is broken up by songs and rhymes that will keep them laughing throughout. When Skippyjon returns to his (real) mummy, youngsters will feel as if they have been to ancient Egypt with him.–Susan E. Murray, Glendale Public Library, AZCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.