Skippyjon Jones - Lost in Spice

By Judy Schachner

Summary: Skippyjon Jones loves the color red. He loves his red ball, his red pajamas, and his red string. So, naturally, his favorite planet is the red one: Mars. When a red chili peppering gets out of hand, Skippyjon becomes Skippito and starts speaking in a Spanish accent. Soon, Skippito is overcome with the need to sneeze, which hurtles him through his closet and straight to Mars. There he meets the Chimichangos (a pack of chihuahuas) and a one eyed martian named Uno Ojo, who looks amazingly similar to Skippyjon himself. It's all fun and games until Skippito realizes he's lost and has to find his way back to his amigos.

Review: Clever and cute, Skippyjon Jones - Lost in Spice does not disappoint. Schachner writes with a mix of prose and rhyme and chili peppers the story with lots of Spanish words. Young readers will need help with this picture book for sure, but they will be engrossed with this adventurous story. As a bonus, there is as much to read from the pictures as there is from the words.

Interest Level: ages 3-7
AR Level: 3.5 (.5 points)
Lexile Level: Not listed

Profanity:
None

Inappropriate References:
None

Inappropriate Behavior:
None

Parental Concern Rating:
0 ...There isn't anything to be concerned about.