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?"
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Playing indoors with his little brother on a rainy day, a rambunctious young pig causes a ruckus and then breaks his mother's three chewing gum rules. ( )