Holy Frijoles, It’s all AboutJudy Byron Schachner!!By: Traci CarterCSU FresnoSummer 2013

Judy Byron SchachnerBorn August 20, 1951

Biography

Judy Schachner was born in Waltham, Massachusetts on August 20, 1951. She had a rough childhood. She was very shy and found her escape in writing where she could create the perfect world. Her mother died from cancer when she was very young and then later her step-mother died from the same disease. Her first job was creating greeting cards and after doing that for 5 years she began to dislike painting and drawing and she stopped doing both. After she got married and had 2 daughters she began to read and paint again.

Biography, con’t.

Her daughters inspired her to write and illustrate her own books. Her most popular book, Skippyjon Jones, was inspired by her cat named Skippy. While working on her own self-illustrated books, she also continued illustrating other children’s books such as I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie. She continues to write books for her Skippyjon Jones series and she currently resides in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania with her husband, her two daughters, and her cat, Skippy.

In her own words . . . . .

http://youtu.be/N4QQAGTKzLM

Click on the link below so see a fantastic video of Judy Schachner talk about how she became an author and how Skippyjon Jones came to be.

Bibliography• Willy and May, 1995• Mr. Emerson’s Cook,

1998• The Grannyman, 1999• Yo, Vikings!, 2002

• Skippyjon Jones, 2003• Skippyjon Jones in the

Dog-House, 2005• Skippyjon Jones in Mummy Trouble, 2006

• Skippyjon Jones Ready to Color, 2007

• Skippyjon Jones and the Treasure Hunt, 2008

Award Winning Work Carolyn W. Field Notable Book, 1999: Mr. Emerson’s

Cook Best Children’s Book of the Year, 1999: Mr.

Emerson’s Cook

Chapman Award, 2002: Yo! Vikings Golden Sower Award, 2002: The Grannyman

E.B. White Read Aloud Award, 2004: Skippyjon Jones

Ladybug Picture Book Award, 2005: Skippyjon Jones

Skippyjon JonesSkippyjon is a Siamese cat with a very frisky

side.  He lives with his mom, Junebug,  and three sisters Ju-Ju Bee, Jezebel, and Jilly Boo.  One morning he wakes up with the birds, literally, gets in all kinds of trouble, and is sent to his room.  While in there he pretends to be a Chihuahua in old Mexico.  He is a great sword fighter and saves the day. 

Video read aloud:http://youtu.be/MelPKaT8PpU

Yo, Vikings! A story based on a real incident involving Judy's daughter.

Emma has an imagination that won't quit, and when she has to prepare a report about Viking explorer Erik the Red, she's off and running on a voyage of discovery. The more she learns, the more seeps into her journal and her everyday life she makes a Viking helmet from tinfoil, hands her brother a painted stone and renames herself Emma the Red. After the librarian shows her a newspaper ad for a 29-foot Viking ship ($7000 or best offer), Emma and her brother write to the owner proposing to pay $128, two baseball cards and a fox tooth. No one believes her when she announces she's getting a Viking ship for her birthday, but in fact it's exactly what happens, and the Viking ship arrives in her backyard along with a TV news crew and all of Emma's classmates dressed as Vikings. "See, Ollie," Emma tells her brother. "Dreams do come true.”

The Grannyman

Simon is a very old cat. His family got him when he was a tiny kitten. Over the years, Simon enjoyed life to the fullest. Now, he was very tired and feels very useless. He doesn’t get around as well as he used to. His family loves him still and helps him out however they can. One day when he thinks he will take his last breath, his family brings home a new kitten. All of a sudden, Simon has a new purpose in life to teach the kitten all he knows about being a cat. This is a heartwarming story about feeling needed even when you don’t think you are.

Literary Analysis As I reflected on our studies in this course I feel like Schachner’s works fall

comfortably into the traditional literature area of our focus.

As I evaluate the works based on the criteria in Temple, Martinez, and Yokota, I find the stories to be very well written and reasonably authentic.

The Skippyjon Jones series provides some insight into Spanish culture in a more humorous manner and is great for our Spanish speaking ESL students as well as our English only students because of the dual languages in the stories.

Yo, Vikings! Is a great example of realistic fiction as it is a character that students will relate to or can empathize with. Temple, Martinez, and Yokota dictate that realistic fiction must have characters that resemble real people in our world and Schachner has created that with the main character, Emma, who has to write a report for school.

Although the main character in The Grannyman is a cat, students would be able to relate to him in the context of the plot. He finds he needs to teach the new kitten all that he knows and students who have become older siblings would certainly be able to relate as well. It could also be compared to a new student at school who needs to be taught how the school works. It is a very relatable story because everyone has been the new kid somewhere before.

Classroom Activities with Skippyjon Jones

Skippyjon Jones Mystery Box – This box contains items that are referred to in the story and is used before reading to introduce students to the story. Pull out the items and have the students brainstorm what adventures are in store for Skippyjon. As the story progresses, pull out a new item and have the students predict what will happen next. This also helps the students give a summary after the story because they have a visual reminder of the beginning, middle, and ending.

Compare and Contrast – The students use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast two Skippyjon Jones stories. This can also be used to compare and contrast story elements such as plot, setting, and characters in different books.

Classroom Activities with Skippyjon Jones

con’t. Spanish/English Word Wall - As each Skippyjon

Jones book is read a word wall is created using Spanish words with their English translation such as; fuego/fire, rojo/red, cinco/five, cabeza/head, gato/cat, calor/hot, and many others. Showing these words side by side will reinforce both Spanish and English vocabulary.

Cause & Effect – Skippyjon’s actions create a variety of different circumstances that he must confront once he dons his mask and cape. Teacher generates a cause and effect chart and has students identify the cause or effects of his actions.

Reflection

I chose Judy Schachner for this study because her books were among my students favorite when I taught first grade. As I read her books aloud in my classroom I found that there were many teaching opportunities we could take advantage of. Her books appeal to children because the illustrations are vibrant and vivid, the stories are very imaginative, and they are fun for children to discuss. The books appeal to my Spanish speaking students as well as my English only students. I really enjoyed the fact the my students were learning some Spanish words as well and that they were getting them in context so they were better able to understand them.