Gum-Chewing Rattler

by Joe Hayes, Antonio Castro L. (Illustrator), Antonio Castro L (Illustrations)

Respected raconteur Joe Hayes is built for tall tales-he's got the world's longest legs! And Joe-who travels all over the United States telling stories to kids-says that The Gum-Chewing Rattler is the perfect tall tale for kids because it combines so many familiar experiences-chewing lots of bubblegum, getting in trouble in school, driving your mom crazy-with the wild, impossible claim that a certain rattlesnake chewed gum and blew a bubble with it. Couple that with kids' natural fascination with poisonous snakes, and The Gum-Chewing Rattler turns out to be one of Joe's most requested stories.

Joe's been telling this wild story for years, since before 1980, when he took those long legs of his out on the road. But now, that old gum-chewer is here for the first time in a picture book with full-color illustrations by Antonio Castro L.

Here's how Joe's story goes: When Joe was a boy, he chewed lots of bubblegum, his mom got so mad because the gum in his shirt pocket made a terrible mess in the wash! But this wad of bubblegum just happened to save Joe from a rattlesnake's fangs!

Really!!

Don't worry-his mother didn't believe the story either.

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Animals, Childrens, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Designated New Mexico Eminent Scholar by the New Mexico Commission on Higher Learning (1979).

Joe was the youngest of five children. His father loved to tell stories. The family moved to Arizona where Joe learned to speak Spanish which became an integral part of his storytelling and writing.

In 1979, he began to devote himself full time to sharing stories. He focuses on elementary school audiences although his work appeals to a wide range of ages.

In 2001, he traveled to Cuba participate in a translation workshop sponsored by Writers of the Americas.

For children and adults alike, Joe's storytelling sessions outside the tepee at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe are a summer tradition that has continued for over 25 years.

Other facts:
*Youngest of five children
*Graduated from University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts in English.
*Taught at Sunnyside High School in Tucson, Arizona and also in Los Alamos, NM.
*Employed in mineral exploration work, working all over the western U.S. as well as in Mexico and Spain.
*Delivered the Commencement address at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at U.C.L.A.
*Currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Reviews

[J-Lynn Van Pelt]

This book falls under the American tradition of the tall tale. The author puts himself in the book and tells a story of his childhood when his habit of chewing gum saved him from a rattle snake.

The back of the book discusses how the illustrator, Antonio Castro L., photographs real people before drawing the pictures for a book.

[Tricia]

If the sign of a stellar "tall tale" is having the audience scratching their heads trying to figure out if the story is true or false, this one hit the mark! Told from the perspective of the author as storyteller he shares how much he loved gum as a child--at times chewing up to 7 pieces at a time. How a gum-chewing rattler gets involved, I will leave for you to find out.

[Cristina Quintero]

This is a fascinating story about a boy who loved chewing bubble gum. His teacher would always make him spit out his wad of gum as he entered the school classroom and his mother would get furious because he would always forget to take out the gum pieces from his shirt pockets, causing his shirts to get ruined in the wash. Then one day something incredible happened that made Joe's mother change her mind about Joe's gum-chewing habit.
This amusing antidote about how a boy's gum-chewing habit saved his life is sure to capture the attention of children of ages 4-8. The detailed and life-like illustrations of this book creates a realistic feel to the story, almost as if the listener is seeing the story unfold before his eyes.
I would use this book to introduce a study on reptiles, desert animals or animals of the Southwest. After reading the book, educators can follow-up with a discussion or activity on dangerous/poisonous animals.

[Anna Marie]

This is the tallest of tall tales, about a little boy escaping injury during a rattlesnake attack because of bubblegum. When reading with second graders, you will need to help them with some of the vocabulary since this book is written at a fourth grade level.
This is Joe's very popular oral story told in this new written format. He's been telling it to kids for over 30 years. The illustrator uses photos of friends and family to create these authentic pictures used throughout this book.
https://www.dogobooks.com/the-gum-che...

[Terry]

Our daughter (8) picked this out. She was glued from the minute we opened the book ... counting the pieces of gum in our narrator's mouth, checking out the snake's teeth. After we finished reading, she wanted to go back and look at it again. Our reviewer talks about all the different ways to share this book in the full review.

[Gabrielle Warren]

This book was a tall tale. Personally, tall tales are not my favorite, I thought this book was okay. I liked how this person went all around the world and talked about there stories about the Untied States because United States is a huge country and very different in many different areas.

[skcocnaH]

Nice illustrations, but I don’t feel like they fit the story. The illustrations were hyper realistic, and the story had a wacky element. I would like to see this illustrator work on a biography or something more realistic.

[Shelby Goff]

It was a cute book with a good story line!

[Adrianne Rosal]

Boy that bubble gum literally saved his life!! Cute read!!

[Tori]

This was a very cute kids book, definitely a tall tale. The graphics were absolutely amazing and well done. They were my favorite part of the whole book.

[Kristen Thorp]

88/365

[Amanda Johnson]

I had to chuckle at this. What a tall tale! It is almost believable--which means that there is some good storytelling going on here!

[Kiyoko]

We read this as an e-book during the Covid-19 quarantine.

A tall tale that keeps kids on the edge of their seat to the very last page!

[Jo Oehrlein]

Very tiny Frame story, but the real story is a young boy who always chewed a wad of bubble gum and kept extra in his shirt pocket and how that extra in his shirt pocket saved him from a rattlesnake.

[Olivia Schlotman]

My three year old wanted to read this book over and over! It is an enjoyable tale.

[Evelyn]

Reviewing Tall Tales for teaching Traditional Literature. A funny story.

[Dolly]

This is a funny tall tale that seems like it could be true; it's not centered around some exaggerated character who is taller and stronger than everyone else. It's just a story about a kid who likes to chew gum...and what child doesn't? The narrative is very humorous and the illustrations are great. We really enjoyed reading this story together.

[Melanie Hetrick]

A young begins a tale of his childhood by explaining his gum chewing habit that often got him in trouble at home and at school. He finishes the tale by explaining that always having chewing gum in the pocket of his shirt also saved his life when he stepped on a rattlesnakes tail!

Is it true? You get to decide!

[The Brothers]

An old man recounts how his life was saved when he was a boy by the gum kept in his shirt pocket. A rattler attacked him, but got the gum stuck in his mouth and ended up blowing a huge bubble with it. As boy, his mother didn't believe the story. Do you?

Beautiful and fanciful illustrations.

[Carrie]

A tall tale of a boy whose life is saved when a rattle snake gets gummed up. Set in the Arizona desert, this easy fiction book is entertaining and engaging as a read aloud or independently. Bright illustrations detail the story well.

[Tanya Wadley]

Great tall-tale, and the kids loved it.

I loved the illustrations too... they really captured emotion well. I am often amazed by artwork and sometimes wonder if the art is not photography manipulated because of the skill of the artist.

[Youth Services]

a good example of a tall tale with some southwestern flavor JD

[Allison]

Modern mythology of childhood- how I got gum on my shirt.

[Verona]

A humorous story about a boy who is always chewing gum and how it saves him from a rattle snake. colorful, animated pictures. My 4 yr.old daughter liked this one.

[Jennifer]

The kids LOVED this book, and it had my five year old giggling through the entire story.

[Teri]

Really creative!!! My kids LOVED it! Perfect light-hearted book to go along with reptile unit.

[Tessa]

Everyone enjoyed this one - silly and great pictures.

[Olson Family Matters]

I'm a fan of tall tales, but this one just wasn't our style.

[Dayanara]

this is so cool thanks

[Someboy153]

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