The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School

The classic story of Gingerbread Man is given an optimistic and empathetic spin in Laura Murray's rendition. Here, the Gingerbread man is created after a class bakes him to life. However, once they leave the classroom to go to recess, the Gingerbread Man becomes paranoid, believing that they have abandoned him and to fend for himself. As he runs throughout the school searching for his long lost beloved creators, he runs into many staff and faculty members which help to guide him in the direction of his class. When he does finally become reunited with them, he is able to clear up any misunderstanding and learn that his being is highly important to the children and that he has become a loving member of their class.
I found this book to be show more extremely enjoyable and entertaining to read. Especially after only being acquainted with the original Gingerbread Man story where he devious and is being chased by the antagonistic baker, this uplifting and more community based interpretation of the story is refreshing. I see that the illustrations by Mike Lowery are a strength to the book because they are simple and very stylized, become more active cartoons than static pictures. The emphasis with Lowery's illustrations is to portray simple depictions of scenes rather than focusing on artistic skill, which is something that shows the mindfulness of the young audience the book is geared to. Furthermore, the images are placed in a comic book format, which is creative because not many picture books are set up this way. This I also think is a strength for the book because since it has such a unique format, young people are then exposed to a different style of story telling and may experience it in a more participatory manner (i.e. a read along/ aloud rather than independently).
Something additional that I and others too may appreciate from reading this book is the depiction of the characters in the book. The Gingerbread man, students, and teachers in the story are all given diverse, individual identities. This is important in any story, I believe, because it celebrates and points to the differences in the world amongst people and shows it as being a positive feature rather than a hindrance. Overall, this story praises the idea of community and inclusivity in its imagery and underlying message. show less

This gingerbread man is not running away as fast he can; he's running to catch up! The children have cooked him up at school but, oh no! He's left behind when it's time for recess, but he's a smart cookie. He'll find them,

"I'll run and I'll run,
as fast as I can.
I can catch them! I'm their
Gingerbread Man!"

Along the way, he loses a toe,

"I'll limp and I'll limp,
as fast as I can. ...
and almost ends up as someone's snack,

I plopped on a sandwich
and chips with a crunch
OH NO! I cried out.
I'm in somebody's lunch!"

The story is told entirely in rhyme and presented comic style with panels and word bubbles. Cute and simple. Kids will eat this one up.

(Librarians will want to remove the poster before circulating this one. Teachers will want to hang show more it in the classroom.)
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What a cute story about a gingerbread man who was made and then left to cool but decided to go on an adventure by himself to find the class. Through trials and tribulations, he keeps positive. The Art teacher and principal were more than willing to jump in and help where they could. This is a cute book I will be reading to my class around Christmas time. Even when they feel lost and out of control their home will always be in my classroom.

I am a huge fan of all books about Gingerbread men! This book was no exception. It's a fun read aloud book with it's rhyme, detailed illustrations and graphic book style. The little Gingerbread man is made by a classroom then sets out on adventure through the school. Told in first person from the point of the Gingerbread man.

This is a very enjoyable book both the plot and the illustration is very strong. I love that it is a new take on the classic gingerbread man story. In my opinion this one is much more enjoyable and connects more to children. His journey around the school is very fun and we all worry that he isn't going to find his way back but when he does we are overjoyed to find out that his class had been looking for him to and wants him to stay. I think I would use this as a fun read-a-loud in my classroom around christmas time, I also plan on having this in my reading corner.

I love the many versions of the gingerbread man, but I will say that this is probably one of my favorites. I like how the authors changed the commonly known phrase, "You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man" to the new phrase of "I can catch them, I'm their gingerbread man". The ending is also different from most of the other versions, which I like! The pictures are fun and enjoyable! I read this book to my class and they loved it. We also were able to discuss some of the similarities and differences from this version to other versions we have read together. At the beginning of the year, I always do a school tour with my class. I would love to use this book at the beginning of the year to discuss different places and people in the show more school. show less

This was an interesting read that I enjoyed since I have read the regular Gingerbread man. Instead of the Ginger Bread Man running away from his makers, he instead goes looking for his baker friends. The cookies takes a journey through the school and finally ends with finding the children. I like how this book rhymes throughout, this would help kids see how books can rhyme.