THE GINGERBREAD BOY
Author: Paul Galdone
Illustrator: Paul Galdone
Date Published: 1975
About the Book: With warmth and humor, the beloved author and Caldecott Honor illustrator Paul Galdone masterfully retells the generations-old fairy tale of the Gingerbread Boy who escapes one mouth only to find himself in another.
Summary: The Gingerbread Boy eludes the hungry grasp of everyone he meets until he happens upon a fox more cleaver than he.
Genre: The genre of this book is folklore. "Folklore is composed of stories passed down through generations by word of mouth. As such, they have no known author. As people told the stories to one another, they changed and molded them to suit their fancy....Folklore reflects the values of the culture in which it grew; it encompasses universal experiences as shaped by the individual culture." (Galda, Cullinan, & Sipe. 2010, p.15) There are several types of folklore, this book falls under the subheading of fairy tale. This story has been told and re-told for centuries. "Two of the earliest versions to appear in print were "The Pancake" collected by Peter Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe in Norway in the mid-1800's and "The Thick, Fat Pancake" collected by the Colshorns in Germany and published in 1854. "The Fleeing Pancake" was the most popular version on the European continent in the 19th century. The Gingerbread Man became more popular in the United States during that time." ( History of the Gingerbread Man, n.d)
Illustration:
The illustrator uses a combination style of art consisting of representational art and surrealistic art. Talking animals and gingerbread boy coming alive are all surreal; Something you would see in a nightmare. However, their features do represent the real thing. The most used and emphases element of visual art used in this particular book is lines. The illustrator uses a variety of lines in his illustration to show texture and movement. He also uses a variety of colors to bring his illustrations to life. The technique of the illustration is drawing and the medium is pencils and colored pencils.
Motivational Activity:
Activity 1- Decorating our Gingerbread Boy (younger students)
Activity 2- Discussion & Story Retell
Activity 1- Decorating our Gingerbread Boy (younger students)
- After the reading of the story, teacher will provide students with ready-made gingerbread boy, plastic plates, plastic knives, frosting, M&Ms, raisins, marshmallows, currents, cinnamon drops, and other assorted candies. Students will decorate their gingerbread boy as they wish and have it with milk ( or juice for lactose students) for snack or during lunch.
Activity 2- Discussion & Story Retell
- After the reading of the story, teacher and students will have a general discussion.
- Who is the main character in the story?
- Where did the story take place?
- Why did the old lady made a gingerbread boy?
- Who gave chase to the gingerbread boy?
- Why did the gingerbread boy did not go into the river?
- Who took the gingerbread boy across the river? where did the gingerbread boy ride?
- Who ate the gingerbread boy?
- What did the people and animals do after the gingerbread boy was eaten?
- What did the fox do after he ate the gingerbread boy?
- Using characters cut-out pasted onto fudge sticks, teacher and students will re-tell the story. Each student will get a character. As the story goes on, and students hear their character, they must get up and join the story sequence line. At the end, just for fun, take students outside and let them give chase to the gingerbread boy character.
Personal Opinion: I grew up hearing about the gingerbread boy and gingerbread man. This story is a timeless classic that puts laughter in everyone's heart- from the young to the old. It doesn't matter how many times I listen to or read this story, I still enjoy it. Moreover, Galdone did a wonderful job retelling this folklore.
Other books by the Author:
- Henny Penny.
- The Three Billy Goats Gruff.
- Puss in Boots.
- Rumpelstiltskin.
References:
Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.
Galdone, P. (1975). The gingerbread boy. New York, NY: Clarion Books.
SurLaLune Fairy Tales: History of Gingerbread Man. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17, 2016, from http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/gingerbread/history.html
Yanique,
ReplyDeleteI loved both of your activity ideas for this book. Retold stories in literature are some of my favorite stories because it is interesting to see how authors put their own spin on them. There are two other activities that could be incorporated in the classroom to go along with this book. One activity that could be done is a lesson on symmetry using the gingerbread boy. Teachers could incorporate the theme of a gingerbread boy into a lesson of symmetry. Teacher would hand out gingerbread cut outs to students and have them decide how the gingerbread boy is symmetrical. Have students add artwork and design that will keep the gingerbread's symmetry. The second activity a teacher could do is have students retell the story in their own way. Have them do this by creating their own book using the basic storyline of The Gingerbread Boy. They can add different characters, settings, and events.