Craig Daily Press

Diane Prather

Diane Prather's columns appear in the Craig Daily Press each Wednesday and Friday. You can contact her at 824-8809 or e-mail .

If you haven’t read the “Skippyjon Jones” books with your children, you’re missing out on a lot of fun for both you and your kids.

“Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones,” written and illustrated by Judy Schachner, is this week’s featured book. It’s one in a series of books, some of which come with CDs.

Skippyjon Jones is a young Siamese cat with a big head and long ears who thinks he is a Chihuahua dog. One thing’s for sure — Skippyjon has an imagination.

In this book, Skippyjon’s thoughts are on bones. He wants to be a paleontologist. Where better to find bones than in Mrs. Doohiggy’s garden? That’s where her dog, Darwin, buries his bones.

Nobody messes with Darwin unless he’s asleep, and that’s where Skippyjon sneaks into the yard, digs up the bones and carries them, one by one, to his room.

On this particular day, Skippyjon’s mother, Mama Junebug Jones, is hanging out the laundry. Mama’s “kitty boy” runs right under the clothesline, pulling a sheet down in the process. Mama Junebug tells “Pickle Pants” (she has lots of nicknames for her son) not to run with his mouth full.

But, Skippyjon has only bones and dinosaurs on his mind. He runs into his room, where the floor is littered with bones and toy dinosaurs, grabs a pickle from a “Dilly Pickles” bottle, pops it into his mouth, and then starts gluing the newest bone to a stuffed cat toy. The toy is a pretend dinosaur named “Skipposaurus.”

Now, Mama Junebug has figured out what Skippyjon is up to and comes to his room, her arms full of kittens with pacifiers in their mouths. She orders Skippyjon to take Darwin’s snacks back to the yard before the dog wakes up.

But, Skippyjon doesn’t mind so well. First, he has to jump on his big-boy bed, all the way to the ceiling. When he comes back down, he sees his image in a mirror. Skippyjon sees a Chihuahua dog.

Skippyjon puts on a mask and cape. He’s El Skippito Friskito, the great sword fighter, who already has had several adventures in other books. This time, he’s off to hunt for the dinosaur-ito.

El Skippito opens his closet door, site of all his adventures. Deep inside are lots of prehistoric plants. The Chimichango, El Skippito’s other Chihuahua friends, are there, too, sitting on the rim of a volcano, where they’re roasting “los marshmallocitas” (prehistoric marshmallows) that are “hard as rocas.”

The Chimichangos are waiting to see the “reelly, reelly beeg los dinosaurios,” and it isn’t long before there’s a boom, boom noise and the earth trembles. It’s not an earthquake, it’s T. Mexito. He isn’t alone, either.

El Skippito saves the day, in a most unexpected way.

The Chimichangos sing two hilarious songs. This book is a must read.

“Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones” is published by Dutton Children’s Books (2007).

Copyright Diane Prather, 2008. All rights reserved.