If you’ve ever had a gum-related disaster (or taught kids who have!), then On Account of the Gum by Adam Rex is the perfect picture book for your classroom. This hilarious story follows a child’s increasingly ridiculous attempts to remove gum from their hair—with every “solution” making things worse. Told in rhythmic, deadpan humor and paired with expressive illustrations, this book keeps kids engaged from start to finish. It’s the kind of read-aloud that guarantees giggles while also providing plenty of opportunities for deep thinking and discussion.
After all the laughs, why not channel that engagement into meaningful written responses? The RACE strategy is a fantastic way to guide students in answering open-ended questions about the story. Teaching them to Restate, Answer, Cite, and Explain helps develop strong comprehension skills while making their writing more structured and evidence-based. You can even use this free poster linked here! Imagine the rich discussions and thoughtful responses as students analyze why things spiraled out of control for the main character or what lessons could be learned from the book! You can read more about how to implement reading picture books into your classroom here if you need help getting this started!
Vocabulary development is another key component of literacy in the elementary classroom, and picture books like On Account of the Gum are gold mines for teaching new words in context. The playful language, expressive word choices, and opportunities for discussion make it easy to expand students’ vocabularies naturally. When kids learn words through engaging stories, they are more likely to remember and use them in their own speaking and writing.
To make all of this even easier for you, check out my POP! Like a Confetti Moment resource! It’s packed with print-and-go activities tailored to On Account of the Gum, including a RACE graphic organizer and practice pages, a vocabulary-building activity, and more. It’s everything you need to turn this funny book into a powerful learning experience—while keeping your students excited and engaged! 🎉 Be sure to check out similar information for Carla’s Sandwhich and Our Favorite Day of the Year!
Need more picture book recommendations? I LOVE matching picture books to the national days, so check this post out about the March national days and try one (or all!) out ASAP!
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