The Gingerbread Man

by Eric A. Kimmel, Megan Lloyd (Illustrator)

A delicious take on a classic story. . . .

When an elderly couple decides to bake gingerbread one day, they have no idea what they're getting in to. As soon as the gingerbread man is all dressed up in his peppermint buttons, he leaps off the table and runs out the door!

Chase along in Eric A. Kimmel's retelling of this classic kids story as the man and woman, a dog, a pig, and more pursue the quick-on-his-feet cookie in a simple text, perfect for reading aloud, featuring strong patterns and repeated refrains that young listeners will want to read along with.

The gingerbread man runs and runs, as fast as he can . . . until he meets a wily fox, whose promise to help him escape isn't all it seems.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Christmas, Classics, Storytime, Food

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1993

About the author

Eric A. Kimmel is an American author of more than 150 children's books. His works include Caldecott Honor Book Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins (illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman), Sydney Taylor Book Award winners The Chanukkah Guest and Gershon's Monster, and Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale.
Kimmel was born in Brooklyn, New York and earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from Lafayette College in 1967, a master's degree from New York University, and a PhD in Education from the University of Illinois in 1973. He taught at Indiana University at South Bend, and at Portland State University, where he is Professor Emeritus of Education.
Kimmel lives with his wife, Doris, in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mmkay, so I normally don't count shorter picture books (Train to Somewhere was my exception, but it was deep and made me cry, so that's why), but I read this one out loud 27 times this week, so I feel like I'm allowed. By Tuesday afternoon I barely had to glance at the pages, thanks to the rhythm and repetition in the story. It really made the book fun, because it allowed my students to engage and "read" along with me! We had a really good time with it--even the older kiddos! The illustrations looked a little mleh to me, but the children never said anything. They DID open a discussion on does-this-story-necessarily-have-to-be-a-Christmas-story, due to their flowery nature.

(I typically do NOT read the same book to all grade levels, but we are going to do lessons with different versions + our Christmas program this year is the story with a twist, so we had to learn the background.)

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prolific children's author Eric A. Kimmel retells that classic of Euro-American folklore in this amusing picture-book about the (mis)adventures of a newly baked gingerbread man. Escaping from the woman and man who created him, the Gingerbread Man goes running merrily down the road, eluding a number of animals along the way, and singing his merry song: "I'll run and run as fast as I can. / You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!." Eventually he meets a crafty fox, and accepting a ride across the river, meets his end...

Although there are many older variants of this tale of a runaway pastry to be found in European folklore - the Norwegian Pannekaken, from Asbjørnsen and Moe's Norwegian Folktales , the story of Kolobok, found in many Slavic traditions - this New England version from the United States first appeared in print in 1875, in the children's periodical St. Nicholas Magazine, and was related to the author by a storyteller in Maine. Leaving aside the question of cultural origin, Kimmel's retelling of the tale is sprightly and amusing, and his text reads well. The accompanying artwork from illustrator Megan Lloyd is colorful and cute, and the inclusion of a recipe for gingerbread men at the back of the book adds a nice touch. This isn't my favorite retelling of this tale - that honor belongs to Jim Aylesworth and Barbara McClintock's The Gingerbread Man - but it is still quite appealing, and is one I would recommend to anyone seeking a good, solid picture-book presentation of what has become an American childhood classic.

[♥♣Mary♦♠ If She So Pleases · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very nice story time read.

[Amber Goebel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Eric A. Kimmel's retelling of the classic gingerbread man story. It is the tale of a gingerbread man cookie that escapes the farmer and his wife and is chased through the country side by several farm animals. He outruns them all singing as he goes, "I'll run and run as fast as I can. You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man!" All is well, until the gingerbread man meets a sly fox who outsmarts him and gobbles him up in the end! My children love this story because of the rhythm of the text and the repetition of the gingerbread man's taunt as he runs from everyone. The illustrations in this version are just okay in my opinion, as the gingerbread man is kind of bizarrely shaped.

[Erika Bichet · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Gingerbread Man is also a class traditional tale that I believe all kids should read. The book is fun and interesting with attention grabbing illustrations. The book is also an easier read, it can be used as a read aloud or as an individual silent read book (depending on age/reading level). I personally would use this book as a read aloud for my future classroom, during Christmas time. Around Christmas time you think about cookies, and those cookies are typically gingerbread cookies. This would be fun to do a cute lesson like having my students color their gingerbread man, and cut them out. I would then hang them around the room to put on display. When my students are gone, I will then take all of them down. This will make the students think their gingerbread man ran away like he does in the story.

[Amberlynn Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is just how one remembers it from childhood, with a wily gingerbread come to life. The little gingerbread runs from everyone only to be outsmarted by a fox. This retelling however, leaves you with a sweet note that the gingerbread man is not gone forever, as they return when someone bakes gingerbread. The classic illustrations in this book fortold the next scene in the text, it was if they could tell the story on their own. I was drawn to this book as I am a lover of classic literature, especially those that bring back fond memories. I was not a big fan of this retelling, I did not think the ending needed to be "sugar-coated" as it took away from the moral.

[Jacqueline Boulanger]

"The Gingerbread Man" by Eric A. Kimmel is a great book for young readers because of its repetitive words and fun story. The picture book takes you through a story of two old people who made a gingerbread man cookie, and the gingerbread man ended up coming to life. The gingerbread man escapes all kinds of animals and obstacles throughout the story. Overall, this is a fun and classic fairy tale that is good for children of all ages!

[Sydney M · Rating 5 out of 5]

After an old women and an old man bake a gingerbread man he jumps up off the table surprising the couple. He runs out the door and down the road. He runs down the road saying "i'll run and run as fast i can, you cant catch me im the gingerbread man. He runs until he meets a fox and asked for help over the river.

[Rayjan Koehler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read for children-- I've read this before when I was a child, but pretty sure it wasn't this exact version. Actually I think that I read a few different versions back in the day, but not this exact one (like The Little Red Hen or or Snow White or Little Red Riding Hood or The Three Pigs & etc- im pretty sure there are multiple versions).

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book a little and this book was funny, because he said "I'll run and I'll run, you can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man." And it's not very funny because he teases them, I think (I don't know if that's teasing).

[Katie Michkiosky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute book! The illustrations and humor really helped to bring the story to life. I think this would be a great book to have in the classroom because it is very entertaining, and would be intriguing for young students.


Fluency & Illustrations

DRA = N/A
Lexile = N/A

[Erika Snider · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book as a kid and forgot about it until recently. This fairy tale has been around for a very long time. I think this would be a fun book to share to a class around the holidays and could also inspire some new crafts as well.

[Eileen Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a perfect book to read with a child. The story is timeless. Children and adults will enjoy the illustrations .

[Karim Elmenshawy · Rating 1 out of 5]

run run as fast as you can you can't catch me i'm the gingerbread man

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steven loves this

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood memories 💜

[Ellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute retelling of the classic gingerbread man story.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great version; moves along quickly and is medium length; would be good for 2nd grade. Good version to compare the other one with. Colorful illustrations.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a classic that is fun to read aloud to a group of young students, who appreciate the voices I use to read the different characters.

[Joey Starr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the retelling of this classic story. I thought the author did a great job at bring the reader in and providing an ending that was unexpected.

Guided reading: I
DRA Level: 16
Traits: presentation, organization

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many versions of the Gingerbread Man; however, this one is one of my favorites. The story begins with the old man and old woman creating the Gingerbread Man. When the Old Woman takes the Gingerbread Man out of the oven he comes to life and runs away. The Old man and Old Woman chase the Gingerbread Man; and along the way, a few animals join in on the chase. This goes on until finally the Gingerbread Man reaches a river and encounters a fox. The Gingerbread allows the fox to take him across the river; however in the end the Gingerbread Man does not make it to the other side.
I gave this book such a high rating because it is a classic and the illustrations are so well done. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and look at the pictures and I know the children will too. The pictures are bright and vibrant and it will keep anyone's attention as they read this classic story. This is a book meant for preschool and elementary school-age kids.

[Kortney Lyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who read this book growing up, I think this would be a great story to use in my future classroom when I want to teach about fairytales. The genre for the book is a fantasy that includes fairytales. It gives a storyline that is easy to follow, good for making predictions, and using context clues to figure out the characters and moral of the story.

[Lillian Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this story. We read it a couple times at school and saw a movie of it.

[Lisa Leland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Level: N/A

Book Summary: This classic folktale is retold by Eric A. Kimmel and is about a freshly baked gingerbread man that escapes after he has been decorated by and old man and old woman. On his adventure he meets many different characters along the way always answering to them, "I'll run and run as fast as I can. You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man.." Until he meets the sly fox who tricks him. While reading this tale children will feel like they are a part of the story as the illustrations are constantly portraying movement.

Characteristics that support the genre: Classics, Cooking, Cleverness, Creativity and Imagination.

Bookshelf Mentor writing Traits: Organization, students can organize the steps of the story by writing a sentence. 1. First they made the gingerbread man and decorated him. 2. Then the gingerbread man escaped. 3. Next, the gingerbread man met an old sow (or pig).

Classroom Integration/Mini-Lessons/Content Connections: Music/Movement: Students can move and sing to the 'GingerKids' number rhyme. Math: Students can use the Gingerbread Man Counting Chart to practice counting.

[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is another delicious version of the classic story of the little Gingerbread Man who leaped from the oven and led a merry chase. Eric Kimmell's snappy, fast-moving text and rhyming, rhythmic taunt draw readers into the story, leading them from scene to scene up to the traditional ending -- which is softened by an additional rhyme, showing a troop of gingerbread people leaping from a fresh cookie sheet. Megan Lloyd brings Kimmell's text to vibrant life, updating the traditional scene: the elderly couple do their baking in a modern country kitchen, and the farm animals pursue the running treat past a modern-style beehive, an abandoned pickup truck, and other "country style" debris. This version strikes a happy medium between Galdone's classic rendition and Egielski's more modern twist on the story. It's a rollicking read, suitable for preschool and elementary audiences.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was especially amazing to use to teach English language learners because you can emphasize plot and story structure which are two essential narrative elements. It provides a multitude of activities that can be used to go along with it. For example, in my Kindergarten classroom, I did a lesson with this story in which I had students create their own gingerbread man using felt pieces which they really enjoyed. First I showed them the pieces I created for the story such as pieces for the setting and of course the gingerbread man! Next, I had individual students come up to the felt board and place the felt pieces sequential order. This lesson recognize sequencing while also providing the students with a fun literary experience.

[Jennifer Tarr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am fond of this straightforward retelling of the classic tale and have successfully used it with 3rd, 4th and 5th grade ESL students who are building conversational English but lagging some structure. We would read and re-read this version, make gingerbread men, and then compare and contrast it with 2 - 3 variations on this tale. Story aside, this is rich with language lessons--run/ran, fast/faster, synonyms jumped/leaped/hopped, and more. An enjoyable way to repeat and review language.

[Olugbemisola Ogutuga · Rating 4 out of 5]

The gingerbread man jumps out of the oven and ran away from the old woman, he ran away from every one he met until he met a fox who was more clever than him. he told him to climb on his tail to keep him from been wet, then he told him to climp on his back, his head, and finally his nose, then he thrust him into his mouth. The book uses simple language that children can easily understand and enjoy.

[Hbeyaz83hotmail.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a sense of humour to it that makes it enjoyable to read aloud and for independent reading. It is about a baker who baked a gingerbread man who ran out of the oven. The gingerbread man was chased and in the end caught by the fox who pretended to be his friend and in the end ate him. Children will enjoy the character coming to life and lets of questions can be asked in regards to knowledge of baking and cooking. Suitable from 3 onwards.

[Kaitlin Godziela · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother would always read this book to me around Christmas time, because we always had gingerbread growing up during this time. I always remembered being so frightened and scared for him on his journey. It is a fun book that can get any child in the mood and keep their attention. Without a doubt I would recommend this book, it is one of my favorite all time classics!