Review for "The Gingerbread Man" by Eric Kimmel

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Kimmel, Eric. The Gingerbread Man. New York: Holiday House, 1993. ISBN 0823408248 

PLOT SUMMARY 

This story is the traditional tale of a fresh-baked gingerbread man who jumps off the pan after he is taken out of the oven and decorated in order to avoid being eaten. As he runs, he passes by several animals, all of which try to get him to slow down. He escapes each one until he meets the sly fox who offers to take him across the river. The fox lures him into jumping on his tail and then gradually tells the gingerbread man to move closer and closer to his mouth to keep from getting wet. When he gets close enough, the foxsnaps the gingerbread man up in one bite. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS 

The Gingerbread Man focuses on the concept of possession. Each character in the book thinks that he belongs to them. This story reminds young readers that just because they want something to belong to them, it doesn’t mean that it is theirs for the taking. It also teaches them to be careful who they trust. The gingerbread man trusted the sly fox, but he was indeed a stranger and ended up gobbling him up!  

The rhyme repetition makes this story a fun and interactive read-aloud for children and helps build fluency skills with early readers. The illustrations are colorful and many of them spread over both pages and create a nice flow to the story.  

REVIEW EXCERPT(S) 

FALL 1994 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY CHILDREN'S BOOKS 

From 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.” 

CONNECTIONS 

Gather other versions of The Gingerbread Man to read such as: 

•        Kimmel, Eric. The Runaway Tortilla. ISBN 978-1-941821-69-5 

•        Ernst, Lisa Campbell. The Gingerbread Girl. ISBN 978-0525476672 

Gather other Eric Kimmel books to read such as: 

•        Gershon's Monster: A Story for the Jewish New Year. ISBN 978-0439108393 

•       Cactus Soup. ISBN 978-0761458326 

Use this story with small preschool children who have trouble sharing toys and other items in the classroom.  

Use the book to practice story sequencing with young readers.  

Have older readers write a script to the story and perform it in class. 

References 

The Gingerbread Man, Christ Academy. Personal photograph by Emily Adams. February 16, 2017.