Review by Booklist Review
Ages 2-5. Using sweet, old-fashioned pictures reminiscent of Barbara McClintock's illustrations for Jim Aylesworth's Gingerbread Man (1998), Jones sets the old folktale in the bucolic English countryside. The laughing gingerbread boy pops out of the oven and leads the old couple on a chase, joined by a growing cast of Mother Goose characters--from Humpty Dumpty and Little Miss Muffet (in frilly dress and beribboned hat) to the Old Woman Who Lives in the Shoe and the Grand Old Duke of York--until, finally, the sly, hungry old fox appears, lurking among the flowers and butterflies. The pastoral meadow is exquisitely drawn in ink and watercolor with delicate cross-hatching, presenting an immense amount of detail with clarity and depth. While children chant the refrain and follow the chase, they will be drawn into the pictures, especially since a small circular cutout shows where the cheeky runaway has been and hints at what's waiting for him when he turns the corner. There's also a detailed recipe on the back page. --Hazel Rochman
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
That baked-goods scamp stars in another retelling, and although his creators (the little old man and woman), his taunting refrain ("Run, run, as fast as you can,/ You can't catch me,/ I'm the gingerbread man") and his fate (being gobbled by a clever fox) remain the same, Jones (What's the Time, Mr. Wolf?) adds two nifty twists. One is narrative: the Gingerbread Man's pursuers are characters from Mother Goose, including Little Boy Blue, the Grand Old Duke of York and Little Miss Muffet. The other is novelty: a die-cut window on each spread gives a hint about who the next person on the cookie's trail will be (thus, on a spread where the Gingerbread Man teases Humpty-Dumpty, an opening on the opposite page reveals a tiny figure in a haystack who turns out to be Little Boy Blue). Jones's whisper-thin, meticulous ink detailings and soft, translucent colors bring to mind vintage tinted engravings, but some readers may be frustrated by the surplus of minutiae and the drawings' apparent lack of focus. Unfortunately, Jones never really captures the Gingerbread Man's brassy flatness or his effervescent insolence. For a more successful effort, see James Aylesworth and Barbara McClintock's 1998 version. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-A fairly straightforward retelling of the familiar tale with minutely detailed and intriguing illustrations. In Jones's version, the gingerbread man encounters various nursery-rhyme characters: Humpty Dumpty, Little Boy Blue, the Grand Old Duke of York, etc. As in several of the artist's earlier books, the format includes die-cut holes in every other page through which readers can spy the next character, and, with a turn of the page, the one being left behind. The folktale plays out against lovely soft watercolor and pen-and-ink depictions of an idyllic English countryside, with hundreds of amusing details to pore over, and a fox that appears ever closer in several pictures. The insouciant gingerbread man skips through the pages with glee, until he meets his expected demise at the end. Following the story is a recipe for making one's own gingerbread man along with the admonition to "eat him before he runs away!" There are several very good versions of this tale in existence, including the traditional classic by Paul Galdone (The Gingerbread Boy [Clarion, 1979]) and the Jim Aylesworth/Barbara McClintock collaboration (Scholastic, 1998). However, this one is unique because of its format and intricate illustrations as well as its twist. Although the book will not lend itself for use in large storytimes, it promises to be great fun for one-on-one reading.-Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
The gingerbread man is pursued by a host of characters from traditional nursery rhymes, including Humpty Dumpty, Little Boy Blue, and other well-known personages who have joined the little old woman and the little old man. The circular cut-outs that allow readers to peek backward and forward and the detailed illustrations will provide plenty of careful viewing pleasure. A recipe for a gingerbread man is included. From HORN BOOK Fall 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The traditional tale meets the cast and crew of Mother Goose in an original take on an old favorite. From his humble beginnings in the home of "a little old woman and a little old man," the Gingerbread Man leaps into the land of "once upon a time," and the dangers presented by its hungry citizens. The tasty treat looks tempting to Humpty Dumpty, who is so hungry that he almost tumbled from his wall. Little Boy Blue wakes up wanting breakfast, while the frazzled Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe is wondering what to feed her children. Meanwhile, Little Miss Muffet is thinking that the Gingerbread Man would make the perfect end to her meal of curds and whey. But he manages to escape them all. As always, though, the Gingerbread Man meets his match (and his demise) in the sly fox who carries him across the river. Throughout it all, he utters his famous refrain, while underneath it the characters he has already escaped give chase. Readers will find something new with each look at the wonderfully detailed drawings. A round window in every other page previews the cookie's next encounter and-a turn of the page later-offers a look back at the last character he escaped. This is a great way to reconnect children with familiar favorites in a fresh new setting . . . and parents with their children, as they use the recipe following the story to make their own gingerbread men. (Picture book. 4-8)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
