<DIV><p>Kids always want Joe Hayes to tell <i>The Gum-Chewing Rattler</i>. And why not? It combines so many things kids love to do&mdash;chew bubble gum, tell tall tales, and drive their moms crazy&mdash;with the wild, impossible claim that a rattlesnake chewed gum and blew a bubble with it!</p><p>You see, when Joe was a boy, that&rsquo;s what he told his mother&mdash;that bubble gum saved him from a rattlesnake&rsquo;s fangs! Really! Don&rsquo;t worry&mdash;Joe&rsquo;s mother didn&rsquo;t believe him either.</p><p>In 2005, <b>Joe Hayes</b> received the Talking Leaves Award from the National Storytelling Network for his contributions to the literature of storytelling.</p></DIV>