The Gingerbread Boy
Paperback – Picture Book, March 21, 1983
HarperCollins · Paperback · March 21, 1983
“The classic tale of the old couple, with no children of their own, who bake a gingerbread boy to keep them company.
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- Who it’s for
- A familiar folktale gets its fun from brisk pursuit and Galdone’s broadly humorous illustrations.
- Themes
- Companionship, A cross-country pursuit
- Pacing
- Fast
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“The classic tale of the old couple, with no children of their own, who bake a gingerbread boy to keep them company. Just as the little old woman is about to take him from the oven, he slips away and runs out the door past a cow, a horse, a group of threshers, mowers, etc. All follow in hot pursuit until the gingerbread boy meets up with a wily fox, and ‘at last and at last he went the way of every single gingerbread boy that ever came out of an oven . . . He was all gone!’
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A wonderfully frenetic cross-country chase is depicted in Galdone’s broadly humorous color wash drawings. Of the eight editions of this well-known story now in print, this hilarious version is the most delectable.” —School Library Journal, starred “Galdone has already proven many times over that he is perfectly at home with those traditional nursery tales that are still preschoolers’ favorites, and his expressive, unassuming style just right for their very young audience. . . . Children will follow along breathlessly . . . right up to that last snip snap snip when the Gingerbread Boy goes ‘the way of every single gingerbread boy that ever came out of an oven.’”—Kirkus Reviews
A Lively Chase
A familiar folktale gets its fun from brisk pursuit and Galdone’s broadly humorous illustrations.
Come here for
- A classic nursery tale with a comic, cross-country chase
- Expressive color-wash drawings that keep the action lively
Expect
- A breathless read-aloud rhythm
- Broad humor and a sharply memorable ending
Where it sits
| Folktale Retellings | 70% |
|---|---|
| Funny Stories | 34% |
| Christmas & Advent | 31% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Kids' Fiction
- Fox Stories
- The Classics
- Fairy Tales & Folklore
- Authors
- Paul Galdone
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- March 21, 1983
- Format
- Paperback
- Theme
- Companionship · A cross-country pursuit
- Reading lane
- Kids' Fiction