Chavela and the Magic Bubble

March 15, 2010
Chavela, who loves chewing gum, buys a pack of “Magic Chicle,” and the enormous pink bubble she blows propels her over the jungles of the Yucatán. “Down below, chicleros
were making zigzag cuts in the tree trunks and collecting the dripping chicle in bag sacks.” Chavela lands on a “magic” sapodilla tree where she meets another girl; after her flight home, Chavela learns that the girl was in fact her own abuelita
as a child. It's a somewhat opaque story, though Morales's luminous acrylics in rich, candy hues infuse it with a homespun magic. Ages 3–7.

April 1, 2010
K-Gr 3-When bubble-gum-loving Chavela finds a package of Magic Chicle at her corner store, she can't wait to chomp it. The little girl is delightfully surprised when it makes a giant bubble that carries her across California, Arizona, and Texas to the Yucatán, where she learns how the sap, or chicle, from sapodilla trees becomes her beloved bubble gum. An author's note describes how chicle harvesting has declined since gum manufacturers started using synthetic ingredients. It also explains how sapodilla trees grow in disappearing rain forests and provides Web sites where children can learn more about rain forest preservation and sustainable farming. By confining these environmental messages to her note, Brown creates a charming story that celebrates the joys of gum chewing, and of natural beauty, without becoming didactic. The text is full of strong verbs, such as "swooped," "popped," and "chomped," which underscore the energetic glee of childhood. Clever fonts also enhance the text. Spanish words appear in different typefaces and colors. Meanwhile, Morales's bright candy colors perfectly evoke chewing gum's various and vivid hues. Luminescent pinks and oranges are the dominant colors, further enhancing the story's joyful tone. The illustrative details also underscore the child's Mexican-American heritage. For example, there is corn drying in the kitchen, and traditional embroidery on Abuelita's dress. Children of all backgrounds will enjoy her adventures."Mary Landrum, Lexington Public Library, KY"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2010
Preschool-G Magic realism blends with rain-forest conservation in this picture book about a young Latina girl who travels, across time and space, from the U.S. to Mexico at the time when her grandmother grew up there. Chavela loves blowing bubbles with her gum, and as Abuelita tells stories about the beautiful rain forest near her childhood village, and the birds and butterflies that once lived there, Chavela chews a whole pack of Magic Chicle gum, made from a sapodilla tree. Eventually, she blows a bubble so big that it lifts her up, and she flies out of her bedroom window, over mountains, until she floats above the jungles of the Yucatn, where she sees the chicleros workers (like her great-grandfather) collecting the chicle gum from the sapodilla trees. Is the little girl who welcomes Chavela her grandmother? And how will Chavela get back home? Kids will want to chew their own bubblegum as they listen to this exciting magical journey, handsomely illustrated in brilliantly colored double-page spreads.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2010
A bubble blown from Magic Chicle chewing gum whisks Chavela away to the jungles of Yucatan. There she sees her grandmother's stories in action as chicleros harvest sap for gum from sapodilla trees. Brown's imaginative tale is paired with Morales's whimsical illustrations full of eye-catching swirls and candy colors. Brown wisely leaves her "stewards-of-nature" message for the author's note. Websites.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)