Trouble Gum

by Matthew Cordell

It's raining.

There's nothing to do.

Ruben is bored.

But things start looking up when his grandmother gives him and his little brother some gum.

Gum is fun. There's just one problem with gum--it tends to make a mess!

Uh-oh. . . .

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Childrens, Animals, Family, Fiction, Storytime

48 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2009

About the author

Matthew Cordell is the acclaimed author and illustrator of the 2018 Caldecott winner Wolf in the Snow. He is also the author and illustrator of Trouble Gum and the illustrator of If the S in Moose Comes Loose, Toot Toot Zoom!, Mighty Casey, Righty and Lefty, and Toby and the Snowflakes, which was written by his wife. Matthew lives in the suburbs of Chicago with his wife, writer Julie Halpern, and their daughter, Romy.

Reviews

[Candace · Rating 3 out of 5]

On a rainy day a young pig named Ruben is told to play with his younger brother, Julius. Ruben is loud and rambunctious. Grammy gives the boys each a piece of gum. Mother reminds Ruben and Julius the rules for chewing gum. Ruben breaks all three rules. The last broken rule resulting in a bath. But what is Julius up to. Oh, no!

The pictures for this story are small, but full of sound words. These sound words are used to hint at what Julius is up to at the end of the story. The text is all sizes depending on the context.

[Erin Reilly-Sanders · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this one up because I thought the pictures looked great, and they do, but unfortunately I've seen them before in Ian Falconer's Olivia. While they are certainly not copied, the expressive and limited line drawings accented with washes of red and pink have already been done. Unfortunately this execution of that idea is fun but when compared with the first book, are not as good. Here Cordell needs more lines to describe his scenes and characters as well as an extra tint, with the pigs requiring a peachier tone. If the comparison, also prompted by the presence of naughty pigs in the plot, did not downplay the quality of the illustrations, I would consider them rather good. The story, on the other hand, leaves me scratching my head. The moral seems to be that parents shouldn't allow their children to play with gum because it makes a mess- not a fun idea for either children or parents. It also seemed to move rather slowly to end up with such an odd, unfinished-feeling ending.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my kids all time favorite books. It is a very funny read, and you have to do some acting and really commit to the characters. (We pronounce Julius in German, I think it really fits personally) Not on mom's blanket! Get's them every time- I love the minimalism and the details like " Super-slow- motion- "

GUM! Kid and Mom approved!

[J9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book my 6 yr old as well as my twin 3 yr olds loved. A solid reading level 1 book, this cute story keeps all ages engaged with the bright colorful pictures and cute story. A great addition to any children's library.

[Michele Knott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh the trouble you can get in with gum! Young children will laugh at the trouble Reuben gets into when he chews his gum, blows bubbles, stretches his gum, and of course, swallows his gum.

[Cosette]

I never realized the rules for chewing gum are universal.

[Kennedy Braun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruben, a little pig, is bored doing nothing while his mother knits a blanket for his brother Julius. To try and pass the time, Ruben and Julius play in the house. The problem is that the boys play too loud. To try and quiet the boys, their mother gives them gum. She instructs the boys not to play with or swallow the gum. Unfortunately, Ruben swallows his shortly after receiving it. So, their mother gives him another. With his second piece, Ruben plays with the gum and eventually gets it everywhere. This results in both boys having to take a bath.

Responsibility is a major theme in this book.


I enjoyed this text not only for the story, but for the intriguing illustrations. The author, who is also the illustrator, used his artistic talent to enhance the text. On some pages, he draws the text in a way that is unique to what is happening on the page. This caught my eye and created a fun read.

I would recommend this book because of the lessons it teaches about following directions. The piglets learn that they have to follow instructions in order to have fun and not get in trouble. The book presents this message in a fun and light way that will not be a scary lesson for students.

[Cassie Veselovsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a child, I had a wonderful grandma who my brothers and I affectionately referred to as Grandma Chewing Gum. Whenever we saw Grandma Chewing Gum, we were certain to get a piece of Wrigley's Spearmint gum which she kept safe in her refrigerator (I'm not sure the reason behind that). Little did I realize then that it was probably a ploy to help keep us quiet. It worked - we loved to chew that gum.

So is the case for Ruben Figgs. It's raining and he's bored, so what does his grandma do? Give Ruben and his little piglet brother Julius each a piece of gum. Mom is not too thrilled and the rules of gum chewing are reiterated, but alas, throughout the book, Ruben ends up breaking every rule.

Cute, fun story that will produce lots of giggles (and a need to run to the store to pick up some gum). Great to share one on one, though the images are too small for a storytime group. Speaking of the illustrations - they are driving me crazy! The style reminds me of someone, but I can't place who: Roald Dahl perhaps? Or William Steig? I like them, don't get me wrong, it is simply that every time I look at the book I think "I should know these images. I've seen them before. Where are they from?"

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

February 2019 - at my library we do what we call "picture book bundles" - 5 staff favorites bundled together, easy for families to grab when they're in a hurry or want to try something new. I put this one in bundles all the time - it's a great one for a variety of ages. I realized recently that I have lots of bundle favorites that I've never checked out for Ben - time to fix that! And fortunately he's a big fan - we've read it over and over. It's funny, it has bubble gum, and it involves kids breaking rules and getting into a little trouble.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

What could go wrong with a pig chewing gum? I had never thought this question, but Cordell sure helps answer it. I’m glad he did. He uses relationships with brothers, moms and grandmas, and special treats and exploring to give structure to the narrative. And his visual style is just disruptive enough to energize the story more. This is so much fun, tactile and auditory, and because of the random problem, completely unexpected.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

The moral to this story: Listen to your parents. Do kids like to do that...NO! Any child will love this book about being sneaky and going behind their parents back to do something fun. Parents might wince at the thought of this book, but it is a funny one. I just wish there would have been more description in text and more on each page. Most of the pages look rather blank, maybe the author/illustrator did that on purpose.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boy oh boy does this piggy break so many rules throughout the book! A laugh out loud story about a grandma who gives her two bored grandchildren some gum on a rainy day. I love the "sounds" used throughout the book and reading it aloud with my son. The eldest, Ruben, was very naughty when his mom kept reminding him of the rules when chewing bubblegum yet he kept doing the exact opposite and trouble ensues. Cute picture book that is a great read-aloud.

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious book with youngster making mischief with bubble gum.
Some people will lose their minds over his misbehaviour, but hey it's a lot of fun.
Cordell really knows how to write a great book, and this one is indeed another great.
That's seven now for me and I'm looking forward to more of his work.

[Peyton Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a great book to use in the classroom for a read-aloud. The pictures are kind of small, but the words are great! There are many opportunities for great inflection and acting. This would be a super engaging story. Also, this book could be used to discuss proper gum chewing and the consequences when breaking rules.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was raining and Ruben and his little brother Julius had to play indoors. Ruben loved chewing gum, but there were rules, and Julius would try to work around those rules. He had fun doing that, but he did get into a lot of sticky trouble. This is a funny story with a child doing what little children do in trying to sneak more gum. Fun illustrations.

[Danielle Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the weather is soggy, what are two brother pigs to do? Good thing Grammy is over and can give them each a piece of gum to pass the time! What she didn't count on was the icky-sticky mess of a situation gum gets them into!

[Valerie Doherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's an amusing book about the trouble that gum can create in a child's life. I believe every child and adult could relate to this story! I laughed throughout many parts of this book, since it brought back childhood memories of chewing gum.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as funny as it thinks it is. The "kids" in the book take breaking the rules too far, including stealing. I felt for the mom more than anything. The art felt like it was stealing from Ian Falconer's Olivia without it's charm; it's even based on pig characters.

[Yolanda Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter enjoyed this little bubblegum escapade. She was a bigger fan than I was, however.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a great read aloud but would be amazing for teaching children about the ways that illustrations drive/support the action in a story.

[BiblioBeruthiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

too long for ST

[Delashay Griggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok Great Story

[Vicki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry but as a mom and someone who has worked with children for many years, I couldn’t recommend this book. Ruben is just too naughty.

[Kiyoko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish the artwork in the book was bigger. It's all tiny drawings with most of the page white around it. Cute drawings but much too small. But fun story!
3.5 teeny tiny stars

[Shaima · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was quite funny overall,but there doesn’t seem to be a very clear moral to the story.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious book about the trouble with bubble gum, siblings and grandmothers.

[skcocnaH · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute book! Cordell must have children because he really understands how kids like to push boundaries.

[Skyla Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay to me. It had a nice lesson to listen to your parents and there are consequences for your actions but it was kind of boring to me and the pictures were very bland.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

What is it about kids and gum? Very real story.

[Lu · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are simple and cute, but the story is kind of boring.