Gingerbread Baby - Hardcover

Brett, Jan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399241663 ISBN 13: 9780399241666

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 2003

Synopsis

Jan Brett's highly original version of the Gingerbread Boy story has quickly become a family classic. Now, the charming tale of Matti's clever trap for the runaway Gingerbread Baby is available as a beautiful board book for younger readers. And it still features a surprise lift-the-flap gingerbread house at the end!

About this title

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 the Inside Flap:

So begins the rollicking chase around Matti's kitchen and out into the countryside as Matti's mother, his father, the cat, and the dog run after the boisterous, bouncing Gingerbread Baby, only to be joined by a flock of goats, Martha and Madeline, a crowd of villagers and more. The Gingerbread Baby stays just out of reach, daring them to catch him all along the way!

But Matti's not with them. He's at home, and we see him in the borders patting and rolling and putting something into the oven. What is he making? Will he ever see his Gingerbread Baby again?

Yes! In a delicious twist at the end that surprises even that mischievous Gingerbread Baby.

Jan Brett's lively and beautifully detailed paintings catch the spirit of a favorite old tale through her cheeky little Gingerbread Baby and the colorful cast of characters who pursue him through a tiny Swiss village surrounded by forest and mountain.

About this edition

• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0399241663
• ISBN 13: 9780399241666
• Binding: Board book
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Brett Jan