The

Gingerbread Man
Level
G

About the Tale Word Count

276

T here are literally hundreds of published adaptations of this timeless

European tale. In the earliest onesproduced in Norway in the
mid-1800sthe fleeing confection is a pancake. But somehow, as the story
Vocabulary
clever, dashed, fibbed,
was shared between countries and continents, the lead character morphed munched, naughty

into a gingerbread man. And we Americans wholeheartedly embrace this

cookie version! In the story, a clever gingerbread man hops off a tray and Supportive Features
repetitive, patterned text;
outruns several hungry pursuers before finally getting gobbled up by a
few lines of text per page
crafty fox. What childor adult for that mattercould resist such a
deliciously silly treat?
Challenging Features
some difficult adjectives
and verbs: clever, naughty
Discussion Questions
dashed, fibbed, munched;
1. Is the gingerbread man good or bad? Tell why you think so. dialogue

2. How did the fox trick the gingerbread man into becoming his snack? Comprehension
3. If you could write a story about a runaway food, what would it be? Use this book with the
Sequencing Chart
on page 22.
Notable Retellings
B The Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth (Scholastic, 1998). Phonics
long i (y, igh, i_e ): time,
Clever wordplay and charming old-fashioned pictures combine in
right, might, try, while, like.
this kid-pleasing version.

B The Gingerbread Man by Karen Schmidt (Scholastic, 1980). This simply Writing
illustrated, straightforward retelling makes for an excellent read-aloud. Have children write
directions for decorating a
B The Musubi Man: Hawaiis Gingerbread Man by Sandi Takagama gingerbread man.
(Bess Press, 1997). Kids will laugh out loud at this Hawaiian-flavored
yarn, in which a runaway Musubi Man encounters a famished surfer.
Fluency
Model how to read
Companion Reproducible Name ____

My Ginger
____________
________
________
________
_______
dialogue. Then read aloud
brea d Man
Focus Skills: Comprehension, Understanding Dialogue,
Use your
Then writ
imagination
e somethi
to draw you
ng your coo
r very own
kie might
gingerbread
man.
the story. Stop when you
say.

get to dialogue, and have

Writing
children chorally read it
Invite children to use the reproducible on page 62 to back to you. Provide
create their very own gingerbread man. They can then feedback and additional
modeling as needed.
imagine something he would say and write it in the
Folk &
Fairy Tale
Easy Reade

speech balloon. 62
Teaching rs
Guide 62

61
Folk & Fairy Tale Easy Readers Teaching Guide Scholastic Teaching Resources
 Name _______________________________________________

My Gingerbread Man
Use your imagination to draw your very own gingerbread man.
Then write something your cookie might say.

62 Folk & Fairy Tale Easy Readers Teaching Guide Scholastic Teaching Resources
 The Gingerbread
Man
A retelling by Violet Findley Illustrated by Hector Borlasca

CRUNCH! The fox munched the cookie

in one bite.
My, what a tasty treat! he said.
And that was the end of the poor
Gingerbread Man.
16
Scholastic Folk & Fairy Tale Easy Readers Teaching Guide page 63

I dont like cookies, fibbed the clever fox.

I just want to help you get across this river.
Hop on my shoulder! I promise you will not But the naughty cookie jumped off the plate
get wet. and dashed out the door.
14 3
Once upon a time, an old woman baked
a gingerbread man. She put it on a plate OK, said the cookie.
to cool. So he did.
2 15
A

Scholastic Folk & Fairy Tale Easy Readers Teaching Guide page 64

Dont even think about eating me up. I ran

Run, run, as fast as you can. You cant away from an old woman and a dog and
catch me. Im the Gingerbread Man! a cow. And I will run away from you, too!
he sang. said the cookie.
4 B 13
 After a while, the cookie came to a fox
standing by a river. The fox was licking
his lips.
12
Scholastic Folk & Fairy Tale Easy Readers Teaching Guide page 65
Run, run, as fast as you can. You cant
catch me. Im the Gingerbread Man! sang
the cookie.
10
The cookie was right. Try as she might, the
old woman was just too slow.
5
Run, run, as fast as you can. You cant
catch me. Im the Gingerbread Man! sang
the cookie.
7
After a while, the cookie came to a dog. The cookie was right. Try as he might, the
Im going to eat you up! said the dog. cow was just too slow.
6 11
C

Scholastic Folk & Fairy Tale Easy Readers Teaching Guide page 66

The cookie was right. Try as he might, the After a while, the cookie came to a cow.
dog was just too slow. Im going to eat you up! said the cow.
8 D 9
Making the Mini-Books

The Litt
Red Hen
le

A retelling
by Violet
Findley
Illustrated
by Lynne
Cravath
3. Position the pages so that the lettered
spreads (A, B, C, D) are face up. Place
1. Make double- the B spread on top of the A spread.
sided copies of the use you did
not help,
I will just

Then, place the C and D spreads on

No! Beca said
by myself,
this bread at was tall.
have to eat , all the whe
Before long d
little red hen.
top! this? aske
the jam on help me cut

mini-book pages. so she did, with the dog. Who will

And said
Not me! 16 hen.

top of those in sequence.

the little red
said the cat.
Not me!
5
.
said the duck
Not me! 12

(You should have

two double-sided
page 33

copies for
Teaching Guide

page 35 .
said the dog
Not me!
said the cat.
Tale Easy Readers

Not me!
Teaching Guide

.
ed. said the duck
d was bak Not me! e all quite
lazy.

each one.) Befo re long , all the brea

this? aske
d
You see, they wer
Tale Easy Readers

help me eat
Folk & Fairy

said
it by myself,
3
Who will have to cut
the little red
hen. I will just
said hen.
by myself, the little red
Scholastic

14
to grind it
Folk & Fairy

have 7
I will just
red hen.
the little
Scholastic

10

Before long, all the wheat was cut. Not me! said the dog.
Who will help me grind this? asked Not me! said the cat.
Nottheme!
littlesaid
redthe dog.
hen. Before
Notlong,
me!allsaid
the the
wheat was ground.
duck.
Not me! said the cat. 8 D Who will help me bake this into bread?
Not me! said the duck.
D asked the little red hen.
9

I will just have to plant6 it by myself, said I will just have to bake 11 it by myself, said
le C
The Litt
Oncetheupon a time,
little red hen.a little red hen decided Me!
C said red
the little the dog.
hen.

Red Hen
to plant some wheat. 4 B Me! said the cat.

by Lynne
Cravath Who will help me plant this? she asked.
B Me! said the duck.
13

Illustrated
Findley
by Violet
A retelling
2
A A
15

2. Cut the pages in half No! Beca

have to eat
use you did
this bread
not help,
I will just
by myself,
said
4. Fold the pages in half The Little
hen.
the little red jam on top!
did, with
And so she

along the dashed line. along the solid line.

16

Red Hen
A retelling by

Make sure all the pages

Violet Findley
Illustrated by
Lynne Cravath

are in the proper order.

Guide page 33

Staple them together

Tale Easy Readers Teaching

Not me! said the dog.

Not me! said the cat.
Before long, all the bread
was baked.
Not me! said the duck.
along the books spine.
Scholastic Folk & Fairy

this? asked quite lazy.

Who will help me eat You see, they were all
the little red hen. 3

14

Book Badge Reproducibles

Let me read Lets read

______________________________ . ______________________________ .

to you! together!

29
Folk & Fairy Tale Easy Readers Teaching Guide Scholastic Teaching Resources