Books like The Gingerbread Man

The classic tale of the runaway Gingerbread Man, who escapes his hungry creators, as well as a string of others met upon the road, before his fateful encounter with a fox, is here retold by the marvelously talented Jim Aylesworth and Barbara McClintock, whose other projects include \ Goldilocks and the Three Bears\ , \ The Tale of Tricky Fox\ , and (most recently) \ The Mitten\ . With a narrative just made for reading aloud, and delightful watercolor, ink and gouache illustrations, this is without a doubt my favorite retelling of this popular story.Similar in content and style to a number of European tales also featuring runaway edibles - the Slavic Kolobok, retold as The Little Round Bun in Irina Zheleznova's \ Ukrainian Folk Tales\ ; the Norwegian Pannekaken, found in Asbjørnsen and Moe's \ Norwegian Folktales\ ; or the Scots tale, The Wee Bannock, collected by Joseph Jacobs in \ More English Fairy Tales\ - The Gingerbread Man is the American contribution to this tale-type, and although it appeared as late as 1875 (in a children's periodical), has become the definitive version for many readers in this country. What child doesn't thrill to the insouciant Gingerbread Man's taunting rhyme: "Run! Run! / Fast as you can! / You can't catch me! / I'm the Gingerbread Man!"? Aylesworth's narrative has all the humor and fun of the original, while McClintock's art ably conveys the building excitement of the story, culminating in that foxy ending. Highly recommended to anyone who loves this tale in particular, or sing-songy folktales in general.