“Run, run as fast as you can, You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” We all know that phrase comes from the folktale, The Gingerbread Man. But, did you know that there are a lot of different versions of the classic tale? These are 10 of the Best Gingerbread Man Books! After reading, try these Gingerbread Man Activities too!
Gingerbread Man Books:
Using the illustrations is a great way for pre-readers to explore and “read” independently or with you. They can take a picture walk to predict what the story is going to be about, describe the parts of the story such as the characters or setting, and work on concepts of print.
What Is A Picture Book?
A picture book is simply a book that has pictures. The illustrations help tell the story and describe the parts. The illustrations can be just as important or even more important than the words.
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The Gingerbread Man by Karen Schmidt is the classic, easy-to-read folktale that we all know and love. Children love repeating the phrase “Run, run as fast as you can, You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” as the gingerbread man outruns everyone in town until he meets the quick-witted fox.
In The Gingerbread Boy by Richard Egielski, the gingerbread boy is on the loose in New York City. Will he make it out of Central Park in this modern, urban version of the story? Your students will enjoy looking at all of the detailed and colorful illustrations as they watch the cookie run through the city.
Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett is a sweet version of the classic tale. The fox may have been able to catch the Gingerbread Man, but he’ll never catch the Gingerbread Baby. Your students will love to look under the lift-the-flap gingerbread house at the end of the story to discover that the Gingerbread Baby is safely inside and won’t be eaten in this story.
The classic story gets a wild west twist in The Gingerbread Cowboy by Janet Squires. Your students will love reading this version’s line, “Giddyup, giddyup as fast as you can. You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” The Gingerbread Man can outrun everyone but what about the sleeping coyote?
In The Gingerbread Bear by Robert Dennis, the crafty cookie manages to escape and runs all over Woodlands National Park. Can a clever park ranger, a few campers, and some wildlife friends work together to catch the cookie? Your children are sure to love this scrumptious spin on the childhood classic.
This time the old man and woman bake up a gingerbread girl in The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst. She runs off just like her brother did but can she outsmart the fox? This book sends a positive message to kids but you may want to omit the words “airhead” and “dumber” when reading it aloud to your class.
Gingerbread Man Superhero! by Dotti Enderle is about a special cookie with superpowers. He flies to a bakery and helps save the other baked goods from a crazed macaroon. Your students are sure to enjoy this unique superhero story.
In Keep Running, Gingerbread Man: A Story About Keeping Active by Steve Smallman, no one can keep up with the speedy biscuit. After outsmarting the characters in the story, he leads them into an aerobics class. This version of the story combines the classic folktale with a message of personal well being.
Follow along as Captain Cookie works to save his gingerbread men crew from being a treat for Santa in The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristen Kladstrup. This tale combines the magic of Christmas with an exciting pirate adventure.
Catch That Cookie! by Hallie Durand is an imaginative story about a young boy who doesn’t believe the original folktale until he opens the oven and all of the cookies are gone. Now, the boy and his class have to solve a series of rhyming clues to find the cookies.
The Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth is slightly different from the original folktale. In this version, your students will have fun repeating the phrase, “No! No! I won’t come back! I’d rather run than be your snack!” and looking at the well-dressed cookie outrun everyone in the town until he crosses paths with the fox, of course.
Any of these 10 Gingerbread Man Books would be a fun addition to your Christmas or Gingerbread unit and the perfect way to celebrate the season.
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