The Gingerbread Baby

Recommended to Jan Brett fans, and to anyone looking for entertaining retellings of this classic tale. Dec 23, Susan rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is not a classic retelling of the Gingerbread Man but a cute story of the Gingerbread Baby. Children enjoy the idea of the baby outwitting everybody.

It adds a different dimension to tale. I would have liked to see a better flowing story but overall it is wonderful. The children love the beautiful Nordic illustrations. Jan Brett provides additional material to go along with the story on her website. My kids love making the gingerbread house which comes complete with a gingerbread baby!

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Dec 16, Jane rated it liked it Shelves: I love Jan Brett and "Gingerbread Man" stories but this book is a disappointment. The wonderful rhyme of the original story "Run run as fast as you can. You can't catch me. I'm the Gingerbread Man! This book will fit the bill for teachers and parents asking for gingerbread man stories but I wouldn't choose as a read-aloud or a favoirite holiday book. Dec 07, Carol rated it liked it.

Cute story and when I read it to the kids in school we didn't expect the ending. Lots of great color illustrations!

Nov 15, Brynna Seitz added it Recommends it for: Nov 28, Kalli Jean Thompson rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is my favorite Jan Brett book. The story is a fun twist on the Gingerbread Man. The illustrations are vivid and wonderful. The story is fun and festive. Feb 15, Allie Maas rated it it was amazing. European Folktale Theme s: It was cold outside.

It was warm inside. A fine day for gingerbread, Matti thought. Matti, a little Swiss boy creates a gingerbread baby only to have it hop up and run away. As it ran through the town it caused chaos among the all the animals and townspeople. Each person tried to catch the gingerbread baby with no success until it was thought Title: Each person tried to catch the gingerbread baby with no success until it was thought that the fox ate him. However, throughout the entire book Matti is whipping up a new gingerbread house and just when you think the gingerbread baby is gone, he pops up in the gingerbread house.

Marta Segal Booklist, November 15, Vol. Obnoxious, cocky Gingerbread Baby is definitely a cookie for the millennium. Equally modern is his owner, Matti, a Swiss boy who bakes Gingerbread Baby all by himself. As the escaped cookie wreaks havoc on the snow-covered village, it is pursued by the expected cast of animals and town folk. Meanwhile, Matti is at home working diligently on a surefire plan to catch his errant creation, with his progress monitored in side-panel pictures.

Brett's signature artwork is intriguingly detailed and delightfully old-fashioned: A special lift-the-flap illustration at the back reveals how clever Matti eventually triumphs.

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Jan Lieberman Children's Literature The joyous journey of a jaunty gingerbread boy is served up deliciously in this book. Set in the Alps, this is Ms.

It could be an operetta starring the clever cookie boy who escapes all who try to catch him. He pulls the braids of Martha and Madeline, tweaks the nose of the milk and cheese man, escapes the fox and runs right into a luscious gingerbread house made especially for him by the boy Matti. The colors, the setting, and the fun and energy of this confection will stir you to make your own gingerbread men and house.

Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both reviews mention how the detailed illustrations make the story seem delightfully old-fashioned. This is fitting for the warm hearth atmosphere that surrounds holiday traditions. I agree with both reviews that this is a unique spin on the classic Gingerbread Man story with intricate illustrations of frosting and gingerbread to tie the whole story together. Evaluation of Literary Elements: The illustrations in this book are specifically designed to tell the plot without needing words.

The setting is in the Alps, the perfect landscape for a chilly winter tale about gingerbread and is strongly connected to the traditional style of the story. Also the plot of the story leaves the readers in suspense wondering what will the gingerbread baby do next? Will he be eaten? All while the Matti is plotting a new way to capture the gingerbread baby.

Consideration of Instructional Application: This story would be a great read during the winter, especially around the holidays. The class could extend the story by creating new adventures that the gingerbread baby went on before returning to his house. Also as a class, gingerbread could be made to practice measuring skills and other math concepts. Then the students could decorate their own gingerbread houses as a story visual.

Students could also compare and contrast this reading to the original Gingerbread Man and note similarities in the plot, yet differences in the endings. Jan 06, Marie rated it really liked it. A sweet story with beautiful illustrations! Jul 03, Martin added it. European Swiss Folklore Theme s: Matti makes a gingerbread baby who comes alive and runs around town while all the townspeople try to capture him. A young boy and his mother bake a gingerbread baby that escapes from their oven and leads a merry chase of people and animals through the countryside.

The end of the story even surprises the Gingerbread Baby. The story told in the borders on each page adds to the excitement of the story. Jan Brett's beautiful paintings capture the spirit of the story. I agree with both reviews that the pictures add to the energy the Gingerbread Baby creates. In addition, the first review commend the colors and setting, which make more captivating illustrations that bring the book and Gingerbread Baby to life. Also, the second review mentions the the story behind the illustrations within the border. The book gives a fun spin to the traditional Gingerbread Man story.

The setting, character names and outfits keeps the traditional feeling. In addition to the lively story, the immensely detailed illustrations use bright colors and movement to depict the action behind the story. I would use this book around Christmas time to show traditional tales of the winter season. To add an interactive element, I would have the students make their own gingerbread paper cut-outs with their names on it. We would use these cut-outs as decoration for the season.

Also, I may have the class make actual gingerbread cookies to take home for their parents or friends.

Another way to use the cookies would be to have them for a Christmas party the day before vacation. Nov 30, Brenda Hetland rated it really liked it. Jan Brett is an amazing choice for an author when you want to go for some light-hearted, holiday-spirited fun with reading. I gave this book a 4 star rating for its amazing illustrations and fun story for young kids. The story is very simple. A young boy named Mattie and his Grandmother decide it would be fun to bake some gingerbread men! Mattie gets impatient and opens the oven too soon.

Before the gingerbread could become a fully baked gingerbread man, a gingerbread baby pops out of the oven, Jan Brett is an amazing choice for an author when you want to go for some light-hearted, holiday-spirited fun with reading. Before the gingerbread could become a fully baked gingerbread man, a gingerbread baby pops out of the oven, comes to life and escapes out the front door.

The little gingerbread baby runs amok in the town but Mattie comes up with a solution and learns a lesson in patience. My first impression was that the drawings actually almost resembled an old fashion, traditional fairy tale style. It felt very traditional and jolly to me. Jan Brett Utilizes design elements such as borders, gentle and consistent fonts and extremely detailed drawings. Her borders are always elaborate and they always have a fun theme. The borders in Gingerbread Baby were festive and well drawn.

The border was actually a well decorated gingerbread cookie with frosting around the edges. This is merely one example of the elaborate detail that goes into creating a cohesive theme throughout her illustrations. Other examples include the theme of snow, christmas references in the forms of decorations and extremely fine and detailed lines.

Other compositional elements that further this overall cohesion are the textures that are always elaborate except for in the snows. This creates an effect that the snow is popping but without drowning out her beautiful images. She is great at adding dimension to her drawings using space. Overall it is a great read. Dec 09, Holly rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is such a wonderful story, I like how it closly relates to the original story.

My son loved all the pictures, which were simply amazing. He was picking out different animals, shapes, and items, while I was reading to him. He now says "Gingerbread Baby run! Jul 21, Marnie Bimm rated it really liked it Shelves: Genres for this class fulfilled by this book: K-3 Estimate of reading level: Matti is going to make gingerbread cookies. He peeks to early and out jumps the gingerbread baby! A lot of characters try to stop him but Matti has a plan. Identify at least 2 characteristics of this genre and subgenre and discuss how they appear in your book: The Gingerbread Baby is a cumulative tale with each new chaser repeating the Genres for this class fulfilled by this book: The Gingerbread Baby is a cumulative tale with each new chaser repeating the pattern.

It ends with quick climax when Matti catches the gingerbread baby. As a picture book the Gingerbread Baby's illustration are stylized in similar way to other works by Jan Brett.

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The images are detailed with a story within a story being told in the frame around the central images on each page. The illustrations are extremely detailed. In what ways and how well does the book as a whole serve its intended audience? This is a beautifully illustrated book that ends on a happier note than other gingerbread tales.

Young children will love the chase and older children will enjoy the detailed images that seem like a seek book. Mar 11, Krista Lockwood rated it it was amazing Shelves: This book would be for grades k-3 Gingerbread baby is based on the classic folktale of the gingerbread man. It was a cold snowy day and the family wanted to make gingerbread. As soon as the gingerbread was done cooking, a gingerbread baby jumped out of the oven!

He ran out the door and everyone tried to catch him but they couldn't. All the animals and people chased the gingerbread baby until the little boy had an idea. He was going to build a gingerbread house! He uses the house to catch the gingerbread baby and he lives in the house. The gingerbread baby is a classic spin off of the gingerbread man. This book would be so much fun to read to children before making gingerbread cookies.

The pictures are full of details and I enjoy the little hints of what is coming next on the side of the page. This book would be so much fun to read in the winter time with children. To use this in the classroom the children could read the book and then write about how they would catch the gingerbread baby. Another way to use this book in the classroom is to have the class in small groups create a map of the journey that the gingerbread baby took.

Nov 14, Vaden Ellwanger rated it it was amazing. It is winter time and Matti, the main character, makes a gingerbread baby who comes to life. Now, the whole village is on the hunt for the gingerbread baby that escaped. Everyone is out looking while Matti is at home plotting his plan to capture the gingerbread baby with his new gingerbread house.

Matti sets out the trap catching the baby, and he takes it home for his parents to see. His parents are very proud of him. The theme is about planning and trickery. I read this Summary: I read this story a while ago, and it is fun to see what happens to the gingerbread baby and how he gets caught in the end. Matti is smart and thinks ahead, but the reader doesn't know what he's doing, so it is suspenseful. The chase is thrilling to read and makes you excited about winter time.

Children can imagine and explore different ideas of how they might have captured the gingerbread baby. Read at Storytime, December 6, Theme: Mar 07, Lauren rated it it was amazing. This book is a great example of traditional literature. Its the classic story about a ginger bread man running away, but this time its a baby. It seems that the setting of this story is in Germany or Norway. As a student at… More about Jan Brett. Once again, Brett has given her own special spin to a classic.

Also by Jan Brett. Inspired by Your Browsing History. Praise Once again, Brett has given her own special spin to a classic. Looking for More Great Reads? Download our Spring Fiction Sampler Now. LitFlash The eBooks you want at the lowest prices. Read it Forward Read it first. Stay in Touch Sign up. We are experiencing technical difficulties.