Gum Chewing Rattler by Joe Hayes

This is a great book because the picture are so animated and fun. I love that there is a picture of the author on the first and last pages telling a story to a bunch of little kids. This gives it a real storytelling feel and makes the reader wonder whether this interaction with a snake really took place. Hayes tells a story of when he was a little boy and he was living in Arizona. The pictures are great to show what Arizona looks like for those children that have never seen or heard anything about the state. I also like that the pictures take up the entire page and the words just seem to be accessory details to the story. This is a really fun twist on an interaction with a snake that could have been very dangerous and deadly. The little boy accidentally stepped on a rattlesnake's tail. The snake tried to bite the boy but ended up biting into the gum that was in his pocket. He got the gum stuck between his teeth and was not able to bite the little boy. Instead, he blew a huge bubble with the gum. This part is really entertaining and fun because it is not something you would normally see a snake do. Then the boy passed out and when his mom got there and he told her the story, she did not believe him. It is cool that Hayes talks to the reader directly on the last page and asks if the reader believed his story. This leaves the question open, as to whether or not it is a true story. This is a great twist on a story about a snake. It even teaches children that do not know what a rattlesnake is, what it looks like and that it uses it's tail to warn people of it's bite.