Everyone knows the story of the The Gingerbread Boy, but did you know that there is a Gingerbread Baby? Jan Brett retells this classic tale, with a surprise ending. And now, we have the sequel. In Gingerbread Friends, we find that Gingerbread Baby lives a pleasant life with his very own gingerbread house, lots of toy, and of course, his friend, Mattie. However, Gingerbread Baby feels that something is missing. He can't quite put his hand on it, but when he sees Mattie going out to play with his friends, Gingerbread Baby realizes that he is lonely. Gingerbread Baby wants a friend too. Gingerbread Baby sets out an adventure, taking his rooster sleigh, searching for a friend. He goes through the village bakery searching for his friends. He asks the sugar cookie girl, the man and woman on top of the cake, and even some swans. He keeps singing this refrain, " I'll be friends with you, If you will be friends with me." Poor Gingerbread Baby! Doesn't any one want to be his friend? He heads home, sad and lonely. Will he find a friend? As the reader hopes that Gingerbread Baby finds a friend, search the side panel illustrations for a gingerbread recipe. This book is full of Jan Brett's signature artwork, and the surprise ending is just fantastic! This is a wonderful twist to a familiar tale, and the reader could spend hours just looking at all of the detail of the village, the houses, and even searching for Hedgie the Hedgehog, who appears in all of Jan Brett's books. A great read-aloud for preschool and early elementary students.
