The Gingerbread Man

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Bibliography

Kimmel, Eric A. 1993. THE GINGERBREAD MAN. Ill. by Megan Lloyd. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 0823408248

Plot Summary

A delicious and entertaining version of the classic, vintage story of the little Gingerbread Man who leaped from the oven and led a merry chase.  The gingerbread man is chased by a horse, sow, cow, dog and the elderly couple. The gingerbread man runs away from each animal and goes on to say, "I'll run and run as fast as I can.  You can't catch me.  I's the gingerbread man!" His luck runs out when he encountered a clever fox.  The fox goes on to convince the gingerbread man into hopping onto his tail to get him across the river.  Once the gingerbread man and the fox are in the river he gets the fox to hop onto his back, then head, and finally his snout.  When the gingerbread man is on the fox's snout he threw his head back and ate the gingerbread man in one delicious bite. 

Critical Analysis

Eric Kimmell's clever, fast-moving text and rhyming, rhythmic words draw readers into the story, leading them from scene to scene up to the traditional ending -- which  by an additional rhyme,  "The gingerbread man has gone away, But he'll be back some other day.  For gingerbread men return, it's said, When someone bakes some gingerbread." Megan Lloyd brings Kimmel's text to vibrant life, updating the traditional scene: the elderly couple do their baking in a modern country kitchen, and the farm animals pursue the running treat past a modern-style beehive, an abandoned pickup truck, and other "country style" debris. 

Personal Response

I have read many versions of this story--The Gingerbread Baby, The Gingerbread Boy, and The Gingerbread Man to my students as well as my own child.  The rhyming piece is always a favorite and is learned fairly quickly by readers, nonreaders, and ELL students.  I love each and every one of the stories but this one has a friendly ending.  I have had kindergarteners crying after reading this story because the gingerbread man was eaten.  I like to start with this version because of the catchy, hopeful ending.     

Review Excerpts

School Library Journal - "Lloyd's illustrations work in tandem with the text to create verve and motion while maintaining a "fresh-from-the-oven" appeal. Her engaging art works beautifully with Kimmel's retelling to keep both eye and action moving across each page, thus enhancing the story's pace."

Connections
Math

• Give the children a gingerbread cookie and have them take a bite.  Then graph the part that each child bit off first-head, leg, or arm. 
• Measure different items in the class using die cut gingerbread men.  

Language Arts

• Write a different ending to the story
• Write a reader's theater
• make a bubble map to describe the gingerbread man
• Compare the characters, setting, plot, etc. in these different versions of The Gingerbread Baby, The Gingerbread Boy, and The Gingerbread Man

Read other versions of the story to compare the characters, setting, plot, etc.

The Gingerbread Baby ISBN 978-399234446

The Gingerbread Boy ISBN 9780547346236

The Gingerbread Cowboy ISBN 9780060778637 

The Gingerbread Pirates ISBN 978-0060778637 

The Library Gingerbread Man ISBN 9781602130487