Holiday Book Countdown – The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School

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 Counting down to Christmas with a new holiday book each day!

gingerbread man loose in the school The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murray, illustrated by Mike Lowery

This isn’t the first gingerbread book in the countdown and it won’t be the last because I LOVE variations on the gingerbread man theme, and this one doesn’t disappoint!  Murray has mixed together a variety of elements (rhyming text, comic book format, fractured folktale genre, repetition, map skills, word choice, first person narration, AND a moral — sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn’t it?) and concocted a delicious new twist on a familiar fun story.

Inside spread from THE GINGERBREAD MAN LOOSE IN THE SCHOOL.

Inside spread from THE GINGERBREAD MAN LOOSE IN THE SCHOOL.

When the students who baked him leave him behind at recess time, this little gingerbread man sets off on a desperate dash through the school to find them.  He encounters the P.E. teacher, the nurse, the art teacher, and the principal before finally being returned to his classroom where he learns they’ve been putting up “Missing” posters in an attempt to locate him themselves.

You know you’re going to want to enjoy some follow-up activities after sharing the book; luckily Laura Murray anticipated that and has provided a page with links to ideas, printables, lesson plans, and a teacher’s guide.  (She used to be an elementary school teacher.)

gingerbread man doll And you know you’re going to want your own jaunty little stuffed Gingerbread Man Doll; luckily Merry Makers anticipated that and stitched one up for you!

gingerbread man loose on the fire truck  And you know you’re going to want a sequel; luckily Laura Murray was way ahead of you on that one and has already written The Gingerbread Man Loose on the Fire Truck.

 

Holiday Book Countdown – Gingerbread Man Superhero

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Counting down to Christmas with a new holiday book each day!

gingerbread man superhero Gingerbread Man Superhero! by Dotti Enderle, illustrated by Joe Kulka

If you include a gingerbread unit in your December lesson plans — or even if you don’t — you’ll want to share this book with your students!  It’s a comic book, a folk tale, and a superhero story all in one….and it even has the “gross factor” boys love in the form of a prune stuck right in the middle of our hero’s belly!  What gives Gingerbead Man the courage to stand up to the evil Macaroon?  “Flour Power” of course!

If you enjoying hamming it up, this book makes a great read-aloud that will have kids shouting and cheering right up through the last page.

Activity Guide from Pelican Publishers

Enjoy the book trailer: