Gingerbread Baby (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "It was cold outside..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"I am the Gingerbread Baby,
Fresh from the pan.
If you want me,
Catch me if you can!"

That sassy cookie! When Matti opens the oven door just a little too soon, out pops a gingerbread baby instead of the gingerbread boy he was expecting. Eluding all efforts to catch him, the flat, becandied baby is chased around the village and into the countryside. He mercilessly taunts Matti's parents, a cat, the milk and cheese man, goats, villagers, a fox, and more. In a less traumatic twist on the classic Gingerbread Boy story, this Gingerbread Baby even outfoxes the fox. Sure he's bratty, but he doesn't deserve the gruesome end the Gingerbread Boy usually comes to. Matti makes sure this naughty but appealing little one ends up right where he belongs.

This fresh-baked version of the traditional nursery story is brought to you from the creative and award-winning ovens of Jan Brett. Best known for such favorites as The Mitten and The Hat, she has illustrated many other familiar folktales. Her intricately detailed paintings, with their pretty, illuminated borders, are a perfect fit for the Swiss mountainside setting of this cozy old tale. And don't miss the Gingerbread Baby plush! (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Brett (The Mitten; Comet's Nine Lives) presents a rather wordy and wandering version of "The Gingerbread Boy." Impatient for the gingerbread man to bake the full eight minutes that is specified in the cookbook, Matti opens the oven door prematurely and a doughy baby jumps out instead: "I am the Gingerbread Baby,/ Fresh from the pan./ If you want me,/ Catch me if you can." The cherubic child remains at home while his parents and a smattering of animals lead a cumulative chase through the Swiss countryside, depicted in minutely detailed pictures. Within the artist's characteristically intricate borders, windowlike cutouts shaped like gingerbread cookie cutters reveal Matti's activities at home: he bakes, constructs and decorates an elaborate gingerbread house, which he then places in a clearing in the woods. Well ahead of his pursuers, the fugitive cookie discovers the elaborate structure and happily takes refuge inside. The grand finale allows youngsters to lift a flap shaped like the gingerbread house to uncover its new resident, smiling and winking. Brett's fetching art offsets her rather facile narrative in a book likely to please her faithful fans and holiday gift shoppers. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (October 4, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399234446
• ISBN-13: 978-0399234446
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,660 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett, November 29, 1999

By A Customer

Jan Brett has done it again with her latest book. Her detailed, distinctive style is immediately recognizable to those who admire her work. The Gingerbread Baby is a new twist on an old tale. The naughty baby runs away with a host of people and animals chasing him. The pattern of the story makes it a joy for children to read and act out. Jan adds her own special ending which will be a delight to children and adults alike.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks, Jan Brett!, December 20, 2002

By	J. Sweeney (manchester, mo) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I work as a teachers' assistant with kindergartners. Jan Brett's books have long been favorites of mine. She may have outdone herself on this one! There's always the exquisite artwork, the detailed borders that foreshadow the story, and the kind and gentle retelling of tales that are classics. This is a delightful take on "The Gingerbread Man," the same story we grew up with, with a magical ending. "The Gingerbread Baby" does not get eaten this time. How this comes about just really captures the children's imagination-they cheer, clap, and smile from ear to ear. We read all the versions of "The Gingerbread Man" that our school library has, and the kids vote on their favorite version. Every year, "The Gingerbread Baby" wins, by huge amounts. That's all you need to know, really, about this book. Five, six, and seven year-olds just LOVE it. And the adult reading it will enjoy the story and marvel at the beautiful art work, which Jan Brett does herself. Highly recommended!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a super story with excellent pictures!, November 12, 1999

By A Customer

We thought this story was very funny. We really liked when the gingerbread baby was running away from all the people. We also thought making a gingerbread house for the baby was a great idea. The pictures were very colorful and neat to look at. In our opinion this is a perfect book! We recommend it to everyone!