VERO BEACH — Parents of young children would agree that finding a book as entertaining to them as it is to their kids, even after the umpteenth reading, is cause for celebration. Among these clever tomes is the New York Times bestselling Skippyjon Jones series.
Skippyjon Jones (for those whose kids exited the “read to me” years long ago) is a Siamese kitten who sprang from the imagination of author/illustrator Judith Byron Schachner. His “bio” describes Skippyjon as a “devilishly disarming, dog-eared Siamese kitten who thinks he’s a chihuahua,” and he is wildly popular with young readers.
On Saturday, parents, grandparents and lots of kids crowded into the Vero Beach Book Center Children’s Store for Skip Back to School, featuring the popular Book Center storyteller Miss Julie.
The crowd sat cross-legged on the floor as Miss Julie read a Skippyjon book with great dramatic flair. She then instructed everyone to get to their feet to join in – The Chicken Dance.
“Come on, grown-ups too. Don’t be shy. It’ll be just like your wedding reception,” Miss Julie prodded. And, moms, dads, grandparents and kids bounced about hilariously, flapping their hands, arms, and tail feathers with great gusto.
They next joined in a rousing chorus of “Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes (Knees and Toes),” followed by another highly entertaining reading, by Miss Julie, of Skippyjon’s latest book, “Class Action.”
With everyone properly warmed up, the Special Guest was introduced – Skippyjon himself, in the fur. And there was a LOT of fur. About 6 feet of it, paws to head, and a good 4 feet across, ear tip to ear tip. Despite his size, the sweet-faced Siamese managed to be adorable and un-intimidating and, for the rest of the afternoon, pleasantly posed with the kids, who ate cookies and stood patiently in line for their photo ops as parents snapped away.
Jocelyn Garcia, 9 1/2, hung out with little sister Alexandra, 4, a big Skippyjon fan.
Jackie and Lee Binder moved from Michigan to Sebastian recently with 18-month-old Isabelle, who “is just learning about Skippyjon.” Isabelle happily nibbled goldfish as the noisy crowd flowed around her.
Ryan Hargreaves, 5, came with grandparents Ginny and Joe Bauer. Ryan, whose mom, Jodi, is a Special Needs teacher in Lakewood Park, loves Skippyjon, said Ginny.
“We just bought the new book,” she said.
Marcus and Jodi Malone brought daughters Kara, 6, and Tori, 3, students at Imagine School and both big, big Skippyjon fans.
“They take turns sleeping with their Skippyjon doll,” Marcus said. “We were all looking forward to being here.”