She's the new Dora the Explorer

''When my mother called me ... and told me I got [the part], I really didn't believe it at first,'' says Caitlin Sanchez. (Mike derer/associated press)

TRENTON, N.J. - When this 12-year-old talks, millions of preschoolers around the world listen.

All Caitlin Sanchez needs to say is "Swiper, no swiping!" Or to summon the powers of her magical backpack.

Sanchez is the new voice of "Dora the Explorer," one of the world's most popular cartoons for preschoolers.

She has always enjoyed music and acting, but never expected to be talking to Boots the Monkey, Swiper the Fox, The Map, and other characters who appear regularly on Dora's cartoon adventures.

"When my mother called me on the phone and told me I got [the part], I really didn't believe it at first," Sanchez said. It's the first cast change in Dora's voice since the Nickelodeon cable show debuted in 2000. The original voice of Dora, Kathleen Herles, is now 17 and in college.

On the show, the 7-year-old Latina heroine and her band of animal friends take their audience along on their quests in a tropical world filled with jungles, beaches, and rain forests. During their travels, they ask their audience to help them solve the various problems they encounter.

Sanchez, who has been acting professionally for nearly five years, does the English- and Spanish-speaking parts for Dora on the new season of shows being broadcast in the United States. She has long been a fan of "Dora," and feels honored to be a part of the show.

"Dora really is an international icon to preschoolers and a really good role model, so it's neat to see how she has spread across the globe and become so popular," said Sanchez. "One of my friends went to Ireland, and she brought back a Dora book in Gaelic."

Getting the role wasn't an easy task for Sanchez, the oldest of three children in what she describes as "a very musical" family. And she soon learned that doing voiceover work isn't a simple task.

"With each script, you're saying the lines and doing the songs a lot of times - they want me to use different inflections, to do things in different ways so they can decide what they like best," she said.

Sanchez, a self-taught musician who loves to play jazz piano, sees her work on "Dora" as another step toward reaching her dreams. For now, that includes attending a prestigious school such as The Juilliard School, though she realized she might change her mind.

"I know I can be anything I want, and my parents have always encouraged me to be the best I can be and to enjoy myself, so that's what I try to do," she said.