In the middle of Grandma's baking one afternoon, one little gingerbread cookie comes to life! After winking at her, he jumps of the pan and teases her that she can't cathc him. He sprints out the front door teasing Grandpa, the grandkids, a cow and others with his repetative line, "Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man." After teasing all the characters in the book, he finally meets his match, a sly old fox. Does the Gingerbread Man's quickness reslove the conflict?

This version of the classic folk tale is from a Golden Book from my childhood. (1979 to be exact!) The illustrations in this version are colorful. Each scene is well developed with small details like flowers in the bushes, emotions on the faces, and the grin on the gingerbread man running fast. I enjoy reading this book with my children because it helps to explain the difference between pretend and real, which is often a hard concept for small children.

In the classroom, this book is great to discuss social behaviors between friends, especially teasing other people. A great art extension for primary grade would be letting them decorate their own paper gingerbread man to display in the classroom. This activity can be incorporated into a glyph for a math activity. Older students could cut out a large gingerbread man and vest, gluing the vest to the sides of the man. The center of the vest is cut open and folded back to show inside a glued paper for the students' writing: a summary of the story, a new ending of the story, or their reaction to the book, even what their favorite type of Christmas cookies are. ( )