The Gingerbread Boy by Paul Galdone

Title: The Gingerbread Boy 

Genre: Traditional Literature (Folktales)

Author: Paul Galdone 

Major Awards: None found for this book  

Age group: Ages 4-6

 

 

Summary: 

Gingerbread boy was created by a little old woman. She made him from dough and gave him two good-sized feet. She left him in the oven, and he baked until he was burning. When the little old lady opened the oven door, the gingerbread boy began his journey out the door. He escaped from the little old lady and the little old man. He out ran a cow, a horse, a group of threshers, and mowers, who all wanted to eat the gingerbread boy. Even though he could out run anything on land, the gingerbread boy knew he would crumble if he got in water. As a sly fox saw the gingerbread boy’s dilemma, he outsmarted him and offered to swim across the river with him on his back. Little by little, the fox tricked him to get closer and closer to his mouth, and eventually, the gingerbread boy reached the end of his journey and was eaten by the fox. 

Reason why I would use this book in my classroom: 

I would definitely use this book in my classroom because I can use it in different ways to teach kids content. Since it is a fun book for kids, they will be automatically engaged and interested. 

 

 Appropriate grade level:

Kindergarten to 1^st grade. 

How I might use this book in my classroom: 

This book would be perfect for winter time before they go home for Christmas holidays. I can use this book to teach my students about sequencing a story. I can build a huge gingerbread boy and little pictures of the characters of the story that ran after the gingerbread boy. I will ask my students to sequence the story and put the pictures in order of how the story unfolded. 

This book can also be perfect for scavenger hunts because the students would be so engaged in trying to find the gingerbread boy. I can write down any vocabulary words on the gingerbread boy and give them a sheet of papers for them to write them down. This would be so beneficial for them because they are having fun, while also learning their vocabulary words.