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The Gingerbread Man


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kimmel, E. and Lloyd, M. (1993). THE GINGERBREAD MAN. (First Edition). ISBN-10: 0823408248.

PLOT SUMMARY
THE GINGERBREAD MAN is a fun, highly energetic, and witty adaptation of the classic gingerbread man folktale from St. Nicholas Magazine’s issue in 1875. The story begins with an old couple deciding to make gingerbread. They decorate it and soon it comes to life and runs out the door. As his journey through the farm progresses, he yells out his famous words, “I’ll run and run as fast as I can. You can’t catch me. I’m the gingerbread man!” to every animal he encounters. He outwits a pig, dog, cow, and horse until he reaches a river. A smart fox offers help to cross the river but as the water gets deeper, the Gingerbread Man has to climb higher and higher on his back until he stands right on the fox’s snout. In one snap, the fox swallows the Gingerbread Man whole. The story ends with the legend of the Gingerbread Man coming to life whenever gingerbread is baked again.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Eric Kimmel (1990 Caldecott winner) retells the classic tale of THE GINGERBREAD MAN in a fun story for children of all generations. The line starter, “Once upon a time”, makes the traditional folktale warm and inviting. The witty character of the gingerbread man has been a classic especially during the holidays. Something about creating an unlikely character that outsmarts and outruns bigger and stronger characters opens up children’s imaginations. Although the gingerbread man’s life is short-lived, there is a lesson to be learned from the story. Don’t get too confident about your abilities, and don’t trust strangers. Kimmel includes the repetitive phrases, “I’ll run and run as fast as I can…” throughout the story, which helps children repeat in a chorus. The story, overall, has a rhythm that can be followed by the colorful illustrations.
Megan Lloyd (1989 Keystone to Reading winner) does an incredible job depicting the fast-paced whereabouts of the gingerbread man. The farm and animals are carefully detailed and add a warmness to the story. Both Kimmel and Lloyd create a simple and easy book to follow through the readings and the pictures.   

In contrary to the charm and popularity of the folktale of The Gingerbread Man, the story has an abrupt ending that can be shocking to small aged children. Their beloved character is eaten by a fox. The ending serves as a valuable lesson for children, but it seems a bit to violent. Kimmel did a good job of including the ending where there seems to be hope for the Gingerbread Man to come back to life.

EXCERPTS
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (1993): “Kimmel brings humor and warmth to the retelling of this spicy classic. His text has a fast-paced rhythm that is perfect for read-alouds or storytelling. The deft prose has a strong narrative, good dialogue, and a fine chorus from the Gingerbread Man himself. Lloyd’s illustrations work in tandem with the text to create verve and motion while maintain a “fresh-from-the-oven” appeal.”


CONNECTIONS
Library Activity: Display butcher paper on a blank space on the wall and create the outline of a plot pyramid. Have students work in partners and fill in the different sections of the plot based on the story The Gingerbread Man with the important events and draw a picture that matches. This is a great activity to teach sequential order.

Student Activity: Have students create and name their own personalized gingerbread men/women. Have unique materials available for them. (Best during the holidays). Display end product around he classroom or library.

Library: Have a book display on other books featuring the gingerbread man character.

·         Kladstrup, K. and Tavares, M. (2010). The Gingerbread Pirates. Scholastic. ISBN-10: 0545325439

·         Squires, J. and Berry, H. (2006). The Gingerbread Cowboy. HarperCollins. ISBN-10: 0060778636

·         Eguielski, R. (1997). The Gingerbread Boy. (First Edition). HarperCollins. ISBN-10: 0060260300



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