44 Best Books About the Gingerbread Man for Kids with Activities
- By Deedee Wills
- Updated on June 15
- 2 Comments
Table of Contents
Fun Books About the Gingerbread Man
Gingerbread books are always a hit in kindergarten! They’re packed with great opportunities to teach important reading skills, and kids absolutely eat them up. Reading should feel fun and inviting, and these books bring that extra bit of excitement we’re all looking for during the winter months.
Right after Thanksgiving, I like to set out a whole basket of gingerbread stories. My students browse through it all December long, and honestly, even when we come back from winter break, they’re still reaching for those books. There are so many different versions out there, so I’ve sorted them into a few easy-to-follow categories.
I’m really glad you’re here to look through some of my favorite gingerbread titles. Just a quick note—this post includes Amazon affiliate links.
Classic Tale of the Gingerbread Man
In the traditional version of the gingerbread man, we usually see a little gingerbread man who is made by a lonely old woman or a lonely old man. When they peek into the oven, the gingerbread man escapes. He is chased by various animals, but ultimately meets his end and is gobbled up by a tricky fox. One lesson plan idea to include in your gingerbread unit is to compare and contrast the secondary characters in each story.
The Gingerbread Man by Karen Schmidt
This classic story of the gingerbread man. He outruns all of the characters EXCEPT the sly fox!
Secondary Characters:
- the boy
- old woman
- old man
- three farmers
- bear
- wolf
- fox
The Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth
In The Gingerbread Man, Jim Aylesworth tells the classic gingerbread man story with a few variations in the characters. In addition to the classic refrain, the gingerbread man also says, “No, No, I won’t come back. I’d rather run than be your snack.” He also recounts the characters he has run away from in a rhyme. This is a great opportunity to sneak some phonemic awareness practice.
Secondary Characters:
- little old man
- little old woman
- butcher with the knife
- black and white cow
- muddy old sow
- tricky fox
The Gingerbread Man by Gail Yerrill
I love the colorful illustrations in this version of the gingerbread man. There aren’t many surprises in this version, the cookie gets eaten. Sad, sad.
Secondary Characters
- little old woman
- little old man
- pig
- cow
- horse
- sly and hungry fox
The Gingerbread Boy by Paul Galdone
This story dates back to 1983 and it should be on everyone’s gingerbread book list!
Secondary Characters:
- little old woman
- little old man
- cow
- horse
- barn full of threshers
- a field full of mowers
- fox
Richard Scarry’s The Gingerbread Man by Nancy Nolte
Can you believe this book was first published in 1953? These illustrations are also detailed. I loved seeing the little quail in the book!
Secondary Characters:
- little old woman
- little old man
- gentle brown sow
- big brown bear
- wily red fox
Gingerbread Man Variations
Some gingerbread books follow the traditional tale format, but the main character is different. The setting is fairly consistent in these books; usually, a rural or country setting.
The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst
The Gingerbread Girl tells the reader that she is the sister of the gingerbread boy. However, she outsmarts the crafty fox! Not only does she avoid getting gobbled up, she also tames the fox and rides him like a horse. We love the fun illustrations in this book.
The Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers by Lisa Campbell Ernst
This sequel to The Gingerbread Girl is another story that is great for kindergarten classrooms. In this story, the gingerbread girl goes on a wild adventure after she accidentally falls into a cracker box. She meets all sorts of animals along the way, each of which helps her in different ways.
The Gingerbread Boy by Richard Egielski
This book puts a modern twist on the classic story! This time, the gingerbread boy is on the loose in New York City, and he taunts everyone from construction workers to subway musicians, until his fateful chase through Central Park!
The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
We love Jan Brett’s twist on the traditional story! We also love how the character, Matti, created a clever trap for the gingerbread baby.
Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett
In this story the gingerbread baby is lonely. He tries to find a friend and ends up getting chased by a bunch of hungry creatures. When he returns home, he discovers that Matti has a wonderful surprise for him.
Gingerbread Christmas by Jan Brett
The third gingerbread book by Jan Brett is the story of what happens when the Gingerbread Baby and his friend, Matti, take his gingerbread band to the Christmas Festival. Then a group of hungry children gives chase.
The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup
Oh my goodness! This is a great book that my students LOVED! Here is what the publisher has to say about the book, A funny and magical Christmas story about a gingerbread pirate, Captain Cookie, and his daring adventure on Christmas eve to rescue his crew from a mysterious cannibal named Santa Claus…
The Gingerbread Cowboy by Janet Squires
“Giddyup, giddyup as fast as you can. You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” AH! This is a must when you are looking at gingerbread man stories. The gingerbread man runs from the rancher, the javelinas, and the cattle. Then he meets the coyote! Did my young readers love this book? It was one of their favorite books. YES! The pages are well-worn!
The Gingerbread Bear by Robert Dennis
I really love this story of a gingerbread bear that runs all over the Woodlands National Park. With the help of campers, wildlife friends, and a park ranger, they capture that little gingerbread bear.
The Ninjabread Man by C.J. Leigh
This is just a fun book about one tough cookie! I’m not sure about you, but we always have ninjas on the playground. You’ll have quite a few kiddos interested in this gingerbread man version!
Gingerbread Mouse by Laura Murray
On a cold winter night, Mouse’s home is destroyed. So she has to set out to find a new home. Along the way, she meets all sorts of animals who help him in different ways. Finally, the gingerbread mouse finds a perfect new home. Can you guess what it looks like?
Tough Cookie: A Christmas Story by Edward Hemingway
This is a funny story of a sugar cookie that was not sweet, not fast, and he could not even build a gingerbread house. Finally, her discovers his new calling!
Little Red Gingerbread by Greening
This fun story is a rhyming book that combines two fairy tales into one story.
The Gingerbread Man 2 What Happened Next by Stephen Dixon
This is a clever book. Here is what the publisher has to say,
If you ever heard the tale of the Gingerbread Man,
What you might not know was his follow-up plan.
This is the tale of what happened later,
The cheeky, old fox turned Gingerbread baker.
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka
This is an award-winning picture book that is a collection of fractured fairy tales. They are hilarious!
Gingerbread Man STEM Challenge Books
One fun activity to do with your kindergarten students is to create a gingerbread trap challenge. Here are a few books to help you get started.
Catch that Cookie by Hallie Durand
Marshall knows one thing, gingerbread men can not come alive. So when his class bakes gingerbread cookies, they jump out of the oven and take off! The class follows clues to try to find the tiny gingerbread men!
How to Catch a Gingerbread Man by Adam Wallace
This is a fun book about a gingerbread man who comes to life inside a bookstore. It is a fun book to launch a STEM challenge on how to catch a gingerbread man.
The Plan for the Gingerbread House: A STEM Engineering Story by Darcy Pattison
This is not a gingerbread man trap book, but rather a book about building a gingerbread home that fits a gingerbread boy and girl.
Gingerbread Theme Books From Other Cultures
There are so many gingerbread variations. Some of these are multicultural gingerbread books that take place in other countries, while other books offer modern twists on the familiar fairy tale.
Gingerbread Man Loose series
This is fun series of books by Luara Murray is a massive classroom favorite. We love that we can revisit this story all year long with different holidays!
Gingerbread Man Story Activities
Laura Murray has written several Gingerbread Man books that can be used throughout the school year, not just at Christmas! Scholastic recently put those books and the CDs into a set. It makes the perfect addition to your listening center. But, you can, of course, use these books and activities in whole group lessons as well. Click below to order the books from Scholastic!
There are at least five activities for each book that will have your students responding to literature and enjoying stories about the Gingerbread Man all year long. Check out some examples below!
The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School
This book is perfect for the beginning of the year. The Gingerbread Man goes looking for his class and takes a trip through the school. He ends up in the gym, at the nurse, and even the Principal’s office. In addition to reading the story and completing the printable activities, you could take a tour of the school.
For this story, students complete a sort of places that were in the story, compared to places that were not in the story.
Each of the books has an opinion response activity for students to write about their favorite part.
The Gingerbread Man Loose on the Fire Truck
Add this story to your listening center during the month of October for Fire Safety! The Gingerbread and his class take a field trip to the Fire Station. I’ve totally been on one of these field trips! This would be a fun book to read before you go!
Remember, these activities can be used in whole-group, too! This is a great time to practice reading strategies and skills.
The Gingerbread Man Loose at Christmas
You, of course, need to read a Gingerbread Man book at Christmas. In the spirit of giving, The Gingerbread Man and his class deliver gifts to their neighbors, but he gets lost along the way.
The Gingerbread Man and the Leprechaun Loose at School
Leprechaun? Yes, add this to your collection for St. Patrick’s Day! A mischievous leprechaun makes his way into the school. Will the Gingerbread Man and his class catch the leprechaun? Your students will love reading to find out!
The Gingerbread Man Loose at the Zoo
The Gingerbread Man goes on a scavenger hunt through the zoo. This story is a good addition to your animal unit!
Gingerbread Man Book Activities
If you’re looking to bring even more fun into your gingerbread unit, I’ve got you covered. These printable lesson plans include a whole collection of Gingerbread Man activities that are easy to use and super engaging for your students.
For listening center time, you’ll find simple response sheets that work with several gingerbread stories. You can take a peek at all of those activities here:
Check out all of the listening center activities by clicking:
Gingerbread Man Math and Literacy Centers
And if you want to stretch the theme a little further, there are also math and literacy centers that fit perfectly with a Gingerbread Man unit. They’re great for independent work or small groups. You can browse them here:
Deedee Wills
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2 Responses
Where can I find the Gingerbread Man Loose at Christmas fixing sentences activity? I love that but can’t find it! Thank you!
Hi Jessica!
The bundle of listening center activities is linked in the blog post, but here is a link just for the Gingerbread Man activities: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Listening-Center-Listen-UP-Gingerbread-Stories-4913927