I Can't Stop Reading This Book!

My little sister gave my kids SKIPPYJON JONES by Judy Schachner for Christmas. She finished a degree in Early Childhood Education last month, and this was one of the books she stumbled across while she was doing her student teaching. It’s charming, endearing, insert ten more cheery adjectives here, and I love it almost as much as--or maybe more than--my kids do.

I’m probably pretty awful at writing a pitch for a picture book, so suffice it to say that Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese cat who thinks he’s a Chihuahua. SKIPPYJON JONES chronicles his adventures as a great sword fighter in his bedroom closet Old Mexico.

Some picture books are a drag to read out loud. The artwork may be stunning, but the voice is lackluster, the writing is clunky, and you always find yourself stumbling over your words. Not so with SKIPPYJON. I think that’s the reason I love this book so much. It’s a delight--a delight--to read out loud with my kids (and a great way to practice my oh-so-authentic Spanish accent:) ).

If you have kids in your life who love story time, buy this book for them. Even if you don’t, find some random three-year-old to read this book with. You won’t regret it.

P.S. Sorry for going MIA for a while. The past week has been a little chaotic around here. (Sick kid + Crazy revisions = No time for blogging) You may have noticed that I didn’t post an agent interview last week, but that’s just because the holidays were so hectic and everybody's still racing to catch up.

This Friday, I’ll post my interview with Joan Slattery, the newest agent at Pippin Properties, Inc. Ms. Slattery may be new to Pippin, but she is by no means new to the publishing industry. Hope you’ll hop on over to check it out!