Kirkus Reviews QR Code
THE GINGERBREAD MAN LOOSE AT CHRISTMAS by Laura Murray

THE GINGERBREAD MAN LOOSE AT CHRISTMAS

by Laura Murray ; illustrated by Mike Lowery

Pub Date: Oct. 13th, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-399-16866-6
Publisher: Putnam

In his third exploratory adventure, the gregarious Gingerbread Man scampers through town delivering gifts to community helpers.

As Christmas approaches, the Gingerbread Man goes back to school to help a classroom of kids prepare cards, cookies, and songs for their adult friends around town. With their teacher, the group delivers their gifts to a wide variety of adults in helping occupations, including workers in shops, offices, and on city streets. Both the schoolchildren and the community workers include people of different ethnicities, and the adult characters include a female police officer, vet, and doctor. The Gingerbread Man goes off on his own to deliver a special card to the baker who helped create him, and in return she makes him some new chocolate boots to protect his crumbling feet from the snow. Back at school the Gingerbread Man and the kids present their teacher with a touching tribute and a special thank-you banner. The rhyming text is patter-perfect, with lots of humor and action and nicely supported by busy, computer-generated illustrations with the story skillfully integrated in text blocks and speech balloons. The journey through town required a sophisticated design to include all the group’s stops, but their travels are clearly conveyed, even including a map of the community.

A jolly treat with a sweet acknowledgement of the gifts teachers give their students all year long.

(Picture book. 3-7)