THE GINGERBREAD MAN

The traditional tale meets the cast and crew of Mother Goose in an original take on an old favorite. From his humble beginnings in the home of “a little old woman and a little old man,” the Gingerbread Man leaps into the land of “once upon a time,” and the dangers presented by its hungry citizens. The tasty treat looks tempting to Humpty Dumpty, who is so hungry that he almost tumbled from his wall. Little Boy Blue wakes up wanting breakfast, while the frazzled Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe is wondering what to feed her children. Meanwhile, Little Miss Muffet is thinking that the Gingerbread Man would make the perfect end to her meal of curds and whey. But he manages to escape them all. As always, though, the Gingerbread Man meets his match (and his demise) in the sly fox who carries him across the river. Throughout it all, he utters his famous refrain, while underneath it the characters he has already escaped give chase. Readers will find something new with each look at the wonderfully detailed drawings. A round window in every other page previews the cookie’s next encounter and—a turn of the page later—offers a look back at the last character he escaped. This is a great way to reconnect children with familiar favorites in a fresh new setting . . . and parents with their children, as they use the recipe following the story to make their own gingerbread men. (Picture book. 4-8)