My Pet Rattlesnake

by Joe Hayes, Antonio Castro L. (Artist)

Overview

Joe Hayes is back with another unbelievable, astounding, and totally true tall tale, straight from his own childhood in the Arizona desert.

One day little Joe is out in the desert, walking around, and he sees a rattlesnake in trouble. Joe saves the snake's life! That's when things get weird. The rattler follows Joe home. My gosh! It's only a rattlesnake, nothing new for a desert boy like Joe, so he keeps him for a pet. His dad is annoyed, the neighbors are terrified, but soon the friendly snake slithers his way into their hearts. The snake cuddles at the foot of Joe's bed, plays in the yard, he even scares away a burglar and alarms the police. What a charmer! Is there really such a thing as cold-blooded love?

Joe Hayes, a children's book writer and one of America's premier storytellers, loves telling tall tales from growing up in Arizona. Whether it's writing stories or telling stories from the tri-cultural American Southwest, Joe is always at home celebrating the imagination of childhood. The New Mexico Library Association named Joe the Centennial Storyteller in 2010, a storyteller so good he only comes around once every one hundred years!

Antonio Castro L. was born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and has lived in the Juarez–El Paso area for most of his life. The illustrator of dozens of children's books, this is his fourth collaboration with Joe. He and his son book designer Antonio H. work on his books as a team.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781935955627
Publisher:	Cinco Puntos Press
Publication date:	06/24/2014
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 11.20(h) x 2.00(d)
Lexile:	AD700L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 10 Years

About the Author

Joe Hayes is the author of over twenty books for children and young adults. His writing style is storytelling-tested and has its roots in the oral traditions of the American Southwest. Each summer, he delights children and adults alike with his summertime storytelling performances at Santa Fe’s Wheelwright Museum. The rest of the year finds him speaking to thousands of readers around the United States at schools, libraries, and conferences. His book Ghost Fever/Mal de Fantasma won the Texas Bluebonnet Award in 2007. Dance, Nana, Dance / Baila, Nana, Baila, his collection of folktales from Cuba, won the Aesop Prize in 2009. The New Mexico Library Association named Joe the Centennial Storyteller in 2010, a storyteller so good he only comes around once every 100 years!
Antonio Castro Lopez (L.) was born in Zacatecas, Mexico and has lived in the Juarez-El Paso area for most of his life. He has illustrated dozens of childrens’ books including Barry, the Bravest Saint Bernard (Random House), Pajaro Verde, The Treasure on Gold Street, The Day It Snowed Tortillas and The Gum-Chewing Rattler (Cinco Puntos Press). In 2005, the government of the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, commissioned Antonio to paint a mural for the government palace. The mural commemorates the anniversary of the Battle of Tomochic. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums in Texas, Mexico City, Spain and Italy.

Editorial Reviews

"The creators of The Gum Chewing Rattler (2006) concoct another outlandish episode with a twist in its tale … A shaggy snake story certain to elicit hoots and hollers aplenty from young audiences." — Kirkus Reviews

“…Comic relief and gallows humor combine effortlessly. My Pet Rattlesnake ends with a bang or a rattle, and like all tall tales, grows taller with the telling.” — The Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher

07/01/2014
Gr 1–3—An unusual friendship develops when a boy saves a trapped rattlesnake, which follows him home. The snake, for all of its attempts at friendliness, only comes across as creepy and sinister, as it "nips" at the boy's feet in the morning and uses his fangs to scratch at the door. To appease their neighbors, the boy and his father try to leave the snake in the wild, but it always finds its way back. When the snake starts to chase cars, the boy worries about it getting run over, setting up a shocking image of the snake lying in the road, before the confusing final line, "Just like I have been lying to you the whole time!" The detailed, realistic illustrations are well drawn, but the snake's exaggerated expression of eagerness is jarringly cartoonish. There may be little kid appeal in either the story or illustrations and a few spreads that may be frightening to young readers. In one spread, the snake attacks a burglar who breaks into the house, resulting in the image of a pale, screaming man being choked by a real-looking rattlesnake. The text is wordy, with multiple small conflicts rather than a climax to the action. An unsuccessful attempt at an unusual pet story.—Marian McLeod, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT

School Library Journal

Joe Hayes finds a rattlesnake in the desert under a rock. He sets it free by using a long stick to move the rock. The rattlesnake follows Joe as he walks away. His father agrees to keep the rattlesnake. The rattlesnake follows Joe wherever he goes, including sleeping at the foot of Joe’s bed. Having a pet rattlesnake is not always pleasant. His poisonous fangs scratch the screen door when he wants to go inside the house. The poison makes the wood swell and stick. When neighbors complain about the rattlesnake living on the street, Joe’s father tells him to return the snake to the desert. The rattlesnake finds his way back to the house after being deserted twice, Joe’s father decides to keep him. It is a good decision because Joe and his father wake up at night to find the rattlesnake strangling a burglar. Joe suggests readers train a rattlesnake well if they want one as a pet. As a result of no training, the rattlesnake chases cars and Joe is afraid a car will run over the rattlesnake. When Joe gets home from school, the rattlesnake is not there to greet him. He finds his rattlesnake dead in the middle of the street, or is he? Color illustrations are included, but the illustration of a rattlesnake strangling a burglar may be disturbing for young readers. Joe, the main character, is unnamed in the story, but is named in the summary at the back of the book. It may be strange to name a character after the book’s author. An adult should read this book with a child in case the child does not know about death and the realities of pet rattlesnakes, especially when they roam freely. Reviewer: Tina Chan; Ages 6 to 10.

Children's Literature - Tina Chan

2014-05-04
The creators of The Gum Chewing Rattler (2006) concoct another outlandish episode with a twist in its tale.A dog in all but body, the snake that follows the young narrator home one day becomes a nearly inseparable companion. He sleeps at the foot of the bed, waits at the gate on school days and once even sounds the alarm when a burglar breaks in (shades of Crictor). Furthermore, all efforts to ditch the reptile at the behest of the lad's father and nervous neighbors come to naught; like the cat of the familiar folk song, the snake just comes back. Except for giving the rattler a big, doggy grin (or mournful, sad-dog face), the illustrator portrays figures and arid setting with fully appropriate, poker-faced realism. Ultimately the snake's habit of chasing cars leads to its demise—depicted in a final view of it "lying there in the middle of the street" (in deference to more tender sensibilities, the victim appears to be sleeping rather than flattened) that sets up a groaner of a punch line.A shaggy snake story certain to elicit hoots and hollers aplenty from young audiences. (Picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews