Book Talk Tuesday: The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School

The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School
written by Laura Murray, illustrated by Mike Lowery
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2011.
ISBN: 978-0-399-25052-1
Grades K-3
Reviewed from purchased copy.

Blurb:

When a class leaves for recess, their just-baked Gingerbread Man is left behind. But he's a smart cookie and heads out to find them. He'll run, slide, skip, and (after a mishap with a soccer ball) limp as fast as he can because: "I can catch them! I'm their Gingerbread Man!"

With help from the gym teacher, the nurse, the art teacher and even the principal, the Gingerbread Man does find his class, and he's assured they'll never leave him behind again.

Each year the kindergarten teachers at my school start the year off with a gingerbread man unit, where the students decorate their own gingerbread man (paper). When I first saw this book, I thought it would be perfect to share when the students came to the library for the first time. The kindergarten teachers give me a gingerbread man that they have decorated with each class, and we pretend that it 'ran' away, (it's really fun to pretend not to know where it came from, I hide it in the book). Well, it turns out the book worked very well.  The teachers liked it and the students liked it. And I liked it because (SPOILER) the gingerbread man doesn't get eaten at the end.  In addition the book comes with a fun poster, with a maze, coloring page, and lesson ideas on the back.  The author's website also has a complete reading guide.   I kinda wish that I'd had time to prepare the gingerbread hunt for the students. I think it would have been fun.

Review wise the writing is clear and crisp and reads well out-loud (it does rhyme).  The refrain changes slightly as the gingerbread man moves through the school (runs, skips, limps, etc.).  The illustrations are really cute and compliment the story beautifully.  The format is simplified comic with panels and speech bubbles and a fun font.  The emphasized phrases help with reading out loud, the reader knows when to add emphasis.  A winner in every way, I highly recommend it.
 

Head on over to The Lemme Library for Booktalk Tuesday.

I'm also using this to meet my Read to Me Picture Book Challenge goal.


Goal: Watering (36)
Completed: 5