The Gingerbread Boy

by Paul Galdone

“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!’ 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

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Christmas, Fiction, Classics, Fantasy

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Paul Galdone (1907 - November 7, 1986) was a children's literature author and illustrator. He was born in Budapest and he emigrated to the United States in 1921. He studied art at the Art Student's League and New York School for Industrial Design. He served for the US Army during world War II.

He illustrated nearly all of Eve Titus' books including the Basil of Baker Street series which was translated to the screen in the animated Disney film, The Great Mouse Detective.

Galdone and Titus were nominated for Caldecott Medals for Anatole (1957) and Anatole and the Cat (1958). The titles were later named Caldecott Honor books in 1971.

He died of a heart attack in Nyack, New York. He was posthumously awarded the 1996 Kerlan Award for his contribution to children's literature. His retellings of classic tales like "The Little Red Hen" or "Three Billy Goats Gruff" have become staples.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introducing Neo to some of these fairytale classics, he chose to begin with this scrumptious piece. The Gingerbread Boy was created by a lonely elderly couple, though he decided to flee his home as soon as he was able, creating quite the adventure for himself anf those who followed him. Understandably, many were trying to eat him, so he kicked those little crumby legs into high gear until he was seemingly saved by a fox, who wanted to assist him to get across the river. What happens from there is for the curious reader to discover. Neo liked the story but wondered why a cookie could outrun a whole slew of people and whether the elderly couple would ever bake again. While Neo still wonders what the fox says... he may have a better idea what it likes to devour ;-) !

[Ronyell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, as long as I could remember, I have always heard the stories about everyone’s favorite trouble making food product the “Gingerbread Man” and I had read a couple of children’s books in the past that detailed the Gingerbread Man’s adventures (although it has been years since I had last read a “Gingerbread Man” book). So, when I found out that Paul Galdone had written his own interpretation of the Gingerbread Man story called “The Gingerbread Boy,” I was a bit surprised to see this edition pop up and I had to check it out!

The story starts off with a little old woman and a little old man not having any children of their own and they decided to make a Gingerbread Boy to make up for it. When the old woman put the Gingerbread boy in the oven, she went off to go do some chores in the house and it was then that she forgot about the Gingerbread Boy and the oven started to burn. When the old woman quickly went to open the oven, out jumped the Gingerbread Boy and he ended up running out of the house! This then causes an escalating adventure for the Gingerbread Boy as he runs away from both the old woman and the old man and most of the villagers, while shouting out:

“Run! Run! Run!
Catch me if you can!
You can’t catch me!
I’m the Gingerbread Boy,
I am! I am!”

After the Gingerbread Boy outruns everyone in the village, he meets up with a fox and…

Will the fox catch the Gingerbread Boy?

Read this book to find out!

Paul Galdone’s retelling of the “Gingerbread Man” was quite unique and cute to read as I rarely come across many “Gingerbread Man” interpretations where the titular Gingerbread Man is portrayed as a boy (even though there were no hints about the Gingerbread being a boy other than being called a boy). I also enjoyed the scenes where the Gingerbread Boy ran away from various characters who want to eat him up as it was amusing that the Gingerbread Boy came up with this rhyme to brag about how he can evade any of his pursuers and I found myself repeating the rhymes whenever the Gingerbread Boy escapes from his pursuers. Paul Galdone’s artwork was fun to look at as all the characters and settings look scratchy as it has an old fashioned feel that made the story great to read through. I also loved the images of the Gingerbread Boy itself as it truly looks like a baked gingerbread cookie that happens to come to life and run across the pages in happy glee!

The reason why I gave this book a four star rating was because I felt that the Gingerbread Boy’s taunting verses:

“Run! Run! Run!
Catch me if you can!
You can’t catch me!
I’m the Gingerbread Boy,
I am! I am!”

Had started to get a bit tedious after a while, especially since we keep seeing these same verses pop up on every page every time the Gingerbread Boy runs away from his pursuers. While young children will get enjoyment out of repeating this verse every time the Gingerbread Boy escapes his pursuers, some older readers might find the constant repeatings of this verse to be a bit of a hassle to read through over and over again.

Overall, “The Gingerbread Boy” is a cute book for anyone who is a huge fan of the “Gingerbread Man” stories. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the ending of this book might disturb some smaller children.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Margaret Chind · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Paul Galdone for us! This one is from the Heirloom Classics Collection, a boxed set with a handful of Paul Galdone folk tales. We love his versions and I'm ecstatic about these specific editions that are hardcover and so easy to shelf. Just right there with out square storybook treasuries and about the same size as our saddle stitch 8x8 and a little bit bigger than our Little Golden Books.

I know there are different versions of The Gingerbread Boy floating around and in this one, that fox gets it all! The look on my little three year old daughter's face was priceless. I'm sure I will remember that one for a while to come. And now we're off to build a gingerbread house. I wonder if I have a Hansel and Gretel around here...

We bought this one after getting Little Red Riding Hood for review from HMH in this similar format. Very fond of it, and bought the entire collections currently available. Two boxed sets.

[Daniel Pool]

Edith, scandalized: "That was a BAD book!"

[Nicole Doerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Gingerbread Boy is in audio book format. It come with a CD to read along with. This is for preschoolers and school aged children. This a classic folklore about a married old couple. The had no kids and lived all by themselves. The wanted to have a little ginger bread boy so the lady bakes one. But he runs away from him saying the famous quote "Run! Run! Run! Catch me if you can! You can't catch me! I'm the Gingerbread Boy, I am! I am!" He ends up running from a cow, horse, men in a barn, field of mowers. Then a fox helped him across the river so he wouldn't get wet, but he ate him when they got to the other side. And everyone else gave up trying to catch him. It is such a cute story. The word choice of Paul Galdone was awesome. You can't help to to keep reading to find out what will happen next. The illustrations are bright and cover the whole page. You could use this book in the classroom setting to start a lesson on cooking cookies, or ginger bread boys. Overall this book is a delight to read and follow along with the CD.

[Nicola · Rating 1 out of 5]

Miss 2 and I like to explore different books at the library and try to get different ones out every week or so. This version of the story didn't quite work for either of us. I didn't like this version of the rhyme as much (it's also quite long if you read it all in full). Miss 2 wasn't quite sure what she thought about the Gingerbread Boy getting eaten at the end.

[Shanshad Whelan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't really say I liked this version of what is a familiar story. It doesn't rhyme very smoothly, there are a bunch of characters like "threshers" that a child is likely to be unfamiliar with. I prefer the more poetic gingerbread man version.

[Cassie McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: The Gingerbread boy is chased by the little old woman, the little old man, the cow, and the horse saying "Run, run as fast as you can! You can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread man!" A sneaky fox then tricks him into being eaten.

Evaluation: I thought this book was a great book and had a twist that I had never read before. This is a very common book that most children have probably read before and what happens at the end will be something that they are not expecting.

Teaching Idea: Before I read the story, I would ask if they have ever heard of this book before or read it and ask if they can recall what happened in it. I will then tell them to make predictions of what they think is going to happen in this version. After we complete reading this book, I will talk about how there are different versions of books and different things can happen in the different books, even if they have a similar theme. Another thing that could be taught with this book would be predictions and irony. It is very ironic that the fox convinces the gingerbread man to move from his back to his nose and the gingerbread man thinks that the can get away from anything no matter what, but then he gets eaten by the fox.

[Kristen Adair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once there was a little old lady and a little old man that did not have any children. So one day the little old lady decided that she would make a little gingerbread boy for them. But as soon as she took him out of the oven he jumped off and ran away. He ran past cows, horses, farmers, mowers, and more. Every time he ran past them he would sing his classic line of, "I can run away from you I can." He ran faster than him all until he was tricked by a sneaky fox that made him think he was helping him.
I have known of this story my whole life, but it was cool to actually read the book that it came from. This is a sweet little story that would be good to read for lower elementary. I am not sure I would use it for a specific lesson, but it would be a good book to read for something like a Christmas party.
So if I read this at a Christmas party, or around that time I definitely think we would have to make our own gingerbread cookies as an activity with it. I would bring icing and other decorations for the kids to use. And then I think it'd be fun if we went outside and played a game like tag. One person is the "gingerbread boy" and everyone is trying to tag that person. Then whoever tags them is it. So kind of like a backwards tag.

[Melanie Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:
The Gingerbread Boy is chased by The Littel Old Woman, The Little Old Man, the cow, and the horse saying, "run run as fast as you can! You can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread Man!" A sneaky fox then tricks The Gingerbread Man into being eaten.

Evaluation:
This book was a great read, especially for younger readers. The book contains rhyme, repetition, chant, and an add and repeat element. This is a great way to allow students to connect with previous knowledge due to how popular this story is.

Teaching Idea:
ELAGSE1RI9: Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
To use this book for teaching in first grade, you can use two different versions of the story "The Gingerbread Boy" and use the two texts to compare the characteristic. You could also talk about the irony of the story as a literary device. The story is ironic because The Gingerbread Man thinks that he is faster than anyone who is trying to eat him, but the fox doesn't need to be quick, just tricky in order to eat him.

[Haleigh Easterling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary -- The Gingerbread Boy is chased by The Littel Old Woman, The Little Old Man, the cow, and the horse saying, "run run as fast as you can! You can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread Man!" A sneaky fox then tricks The Gingerbread Man into being eaten.

Evaluation -- I thought this book would be perfect for younger readers. The book has a repeating theme that makes reading easier for young readers. It also contains a rhyme, chant, and an add and repeat element.

Teaching Idea -- ELAGSE1RI9: Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
If you introduced this book in first grade you could read two different versions of this story. This would allow you to compare the characteristics of both books. One other element in the book is irony. The story is ironic because the Gingerbread Boy thinks he is faster than everyone, but the fox doesn't need to be fast because he is able to trick the Gingerbread Boy to eat him.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe it isn't a great idea to bring a child into the world, just to keep the parents company!

In this traditional tale, that's the thinking of an elderly couple. Lacking any human children of their own, they bake a gingerbread boy to keep them company.

But there's trouble. While the little old woman is starting to remove her fresh-baked "boy" from the oven, guess what?

He slips away, runs out the door, and manages to escape a whole lot of people and animals before meeting his inevitable fate. Which people and animals? For instance:

* A cow
* A horse
* Threshers among the wheat
* Mowers with their scythes.

But then comes the fox. Uh-oh!

FIVE STARS for an excellent rendition of a story that's appealing to kids because the Little Gingerbread Boy never believes that he's going to be caught. (Joke.)

The appeal of this story, officially, comes from all the repetition of the cookie boy's braggy little song.

[Makayla Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:
This is a book about an old couple who don't have any children, so they decided to make a little gingerbread boy. The little gingerbread boy thought that they wanted to eat him, so he ran away. Along his journey he encountered several animals and people that he had to run away from over and over again to avoid being eaten. A sly fox tricked him while crossing a river one day, and ended up eating the little gingerbread boy.
Evaluation:
This book was well written. The illustrations went along with the text perfectly! I really enjoyed reading this book.
Teaching point:
Towards the end of this book, when the fox eats the gingerbread boy, the author describes the gingerbread boy as being half way gone, then 2 thirds gone. This book could be used to introduce or review fractions with a math class.

[Jaime King · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and it can also be used in many ways. This book can be used as a cooking lesson because at the beginning of the book the author tells us the different species the old woman put into the gingerbread boy, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and of course ginger. After doing so the teacher or facilitator can also use an already cooked gingerbread as a prop to read the rest of this story. The illustrations in the book are some sort of water color and keeps me interested because of how fascinating the illustrations are to look at after reading. This book also keeps you on your toes because it makes you believe that the fox is trying to help the gingerbread man but then in reality thee fox is the bad guy. This book was fun to read, and I cannot wait to read it with the kids I tutor!

[Minna · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you've read a book every single day for ten days I think you get to count it even if it's a "kid's book." Kid 2 has been demanding this every night.
I was honestly surprised he likes it that much, since it's got a decidedly "dark" ending and sort of antiquated vocabulary/speech patterns, but there you go, he wants it EVERY DAY *shrugs*
Definitely an older-style version, with threshers and mowers (both of which I try to explain to Kid 2, who is completely uninterested; to him they're just groups of guys who want to eat the Gingerbread boy. He's also uninterested in combines. Farming is not his jam in any guise it would seem).
The art is pretty good though, and the parts with the fox are Kid 2's particular favorite. He is a bloodthirsty little booger.

[Breann Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story threw me off because I am used to the gingerbread “man,” but it still has the same excitement to it! I also like that it has a different ending. A lot of stories end with happy endings, but that is not always realistic. In the ending of this, as he is eaten, children will come to the odds that not everything has to end perfectly with a ‘happily ever after.’ Even though that is a little harsh, I think it is not fair that all throughout childhood, we are told that everything will always work out and fit perfectly, when in reality, that rarely happens! I think this book could be used for any early childhood age group.

[Richard Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The gingerbread boy is a folktale story about a Gingerbread boy who outruns everyone and everything that wants to eat him. The story follows Gingerbread Boy who is running for his life to out run all of the pursuers who want to eat him. There is a strong meaning behind this story and that is what we learn in the end that we should watch who we trust. The illustrations were also well done and showed us how happy the gingerbread boy was with his running. This could be used by a teacher but more as a fun read for the students. Because growing up a lot of people reference the phrase “You can't catch me I am the Gingerbread man” and it is still used by kids today.

[Ashley B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another rendition of the tale of the Gingerbread Boy. This gingerbread runs away from people and animals and dares them to catch him. He runs so fast no one is able to catch him. However, when he comes up to a body of water, he has to recruit the help of a fox to get over. The fox is smart and makes the Gingerbread Boy climb up to his nose, where the fox then promptly eats the Gingerbread Boy. This book teaches kids they need to be smart and think before they do. Kids could lessons from both the fox and the Gingerbread Boy in this story.

[Celeste Bittner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny spin on the old classic The Gingerbread Man. In this story, an old couple made a gingerbread boy. Unfortunately, the old lady forgets about the gingerbread boy in the oven and when she takes him out of the oven, he begins to run away. Each person or animal the little gingerbread boy runs into he brags about all the people/things he has run away from. However, as he approaches a fox and a river, it's the fox that outsmarts the gingerbread boy and ends up eating the little gingerbread boy.

[Hannah]

The story of an old couple who bakes a ginger bread man. When he is done he gets up and runs away from the couple. The couple is in hot pursuit. The Ginger bread man runs by many animals that try to eat him as well but he escapes. them. Until he meets the sly fox. The fox offers to take him across the river if he will just sit on his back, then his head, then his nose and snap. The gingerbread man is eaten by the fox. This is a good fairytale story To do with the class as an activity we could make gingerbread men and then read them a book

[Emily Kono]

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 him until the gingerbread boy meets up with a wily fox, and is tricked into being eaten. I would use this story in a traditional literature introduction. You could also use it to teach irony because the gingerbread boy thinks he can outrun and outsmart anyone but gets tricked easily by the fox.

[Elissa Ottenschnieder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Are you looking for an old-school traditional folklore story? The Gingerbread Boy by Paul Galdone is just what you need to read. This picture book includes amazing illustrations depicting the Gingerbread Boys story. The author takes you on a journey through this story by watching the protagonist, the Gingerbread Boy as he makes his way around the town away from his “parents”. This book makes for a great fun, read aloud with students or just kids in your life! Check this book out if you haven’t already!

[Alexandra Litton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Gingerbread Boy retold by Paul Galdone is a classic folktale following the story of a mischievous gingerbread boy and his lively and humorous antics. The tale stays true to its roots as the gingerbread boy flees from the oven he is trapped in while outwitting those who try to capture him; all those besides the clever fox who in the end outsmarts the gingerbread boy himself. The playful story line paired with the vivid imagery within the story makes this selection a timeless and exciting read for young readers.

[Billy Noecker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun childhood story of the gingerbread man. With humor and warmth, this is the story of a gingerbread man who springs to life and runs for it. He escapes an old lady, the townspeople, the cows, etc, proclaiming that he could never be caught. It isn't until he comes into contact with a cunning fox does his plans to be uncatchable come under duress. Will he escape? Can anyone catch the gingerbread man?

[Brittany Arcuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and exciting book for young children! Children will love that the gingerbread boy comes to life and will be intrigued in the story while everyone is trying to catch him. Little do they know the surprise that is going to happen at the end. The fox seems friendly to the gingerbread boy until he climbs on top of the fox and suddenly the gingerbread boy is gone. This book could be a fun and exciting read aloud for a class and could also include fun follow up activities!

[Maggie Kobus · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a good adaptation of a classic story. I will say, when reading this to a younger group of children (preschool/pre-K) I usually change the ending. *Sorry Spoiler Alert!*

The gingerbread man gets eaten by the fox. The ending has brought students to tears so, I usually pick a different copy of this story. (Hence why this only receives two stars). However, it is a classic, and for a more mature audience it is a good story, well illustrated, and has easy to comprehend language.

[Christina Reebel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is a very good book for children to read, however, the ending is concerning considering the gingerbread had been eaten. Other than that part of the story, the repetitiveness and how entertaining this story was would be very good for younger readers. If it was not for the ending, I would say this was a great book that I would include in a classroom. I feel the ending would ruin it for children.

[Jordyn Cortez · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a lonely old couple decides to bake a gingerbread boy, he runs away. The story goes on about the gingerbread boy running and running from all these different animals and people. It is a very cute story and always leaves you wondering whats next for the gingerbread boy, who else will he have to run from? I can definitely see myself using this in the classroom.

[Ashley Manners · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this version of the gingerbread boy we see funny pictures along with the telling of the story. Although I have heard the story of the Gingerbread boy before, I did enjoy reading Paul Galdone's version as well. There were some words that were included in this version that could be confusing to some students, but that is a good opportunity to set vocabulary goals for the book and your students.

[Maddy Fouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retelling story of the gingerbread man, very cute pictures that included a number of different characters and detailed illustrations. The only part a younger audience might not like it the illustrations of the fox eating the gingerbread boy, but overall it was a good story, especially for the holidays!