Chavela, a young Mexican American girl, loves chewing chicle (gum) and is exceptionally good at blowing bubbles with it. One morning, on her weekly Saturday trip with her grandmother to the corner store, Chavela spots a new type of gum called “Magic Chicle.” She chews it and discovers she can float with the giant bubble she blows. The gum carries her all the way to Mexico, where she meets chicleros (gum collectors), who are extracting chicle from sapodilla trees, and a girl who mysteriously reminds her of her grandmother. Chavela sings, dances, and learns about how chicle is extracted from the trees and turned into chewing gum before journeying back to her home. Illustrator Magaly Morales’s colorful, bold and bright acrylic artwork, with its curves, swoops, and sense of motion, depicts Chavela’s journey and discoveries with delight in this whimsical story about a loving grandmother-granddaughter relationship that captures the essence of magical realism and offers a gratifying resolution. Highly Commended, 2011 Charlotte Zolotow Award (Ages 5–9)

Chavela loves chomping chicle --chewing gum. And she loves blowing bubbles even more. One day, while out with her abuelita, she finds a mysterious kind of gum she's never seen before. She pops it in her mouth and blows a giant bubble that lifts her up into the air and carries her on a magical journey. Luscious, candy-colored paintings illustrate this fantastical story with an ecological twist. An afterword provides information on natural chewing gum, the rainforest, and sustainable farming, as well as music to a traditional Latin American folksong.