SKIPPYJON JONES IN THE DOG HOUSE

Some audiobooks can stand alone, and be listened to without any book or introduction. But this story doesn't move smoothly and ends quite suddenly, so even though Robert Ramirez gets right into SkippyJon's Mexican persona, it's difficult to follow what is happening. Ramirez's Spanish accent, with English and Spanish words well enunciated and mixed in the sentences, carries SkippyJon well through his adventures, and the secondary characters are equally well done. But a short narrator's note explaining who SkippyJon is, or a note suggesting the reader read the series in sequence, would make it much more enjoyable. Good for early elementary students trying to learn Spanish, even if they miss the word play. W.L.S. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 06]