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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

A roaring fire burns in the fireplace, teacups can be seen on end tables, a framed portrait hangs near the mantle where lovely flower arrangements and decorative plates are placed, and a cat plays with a ball of yarn from a knitting basket when a little old woman stopped reading and suggested making a gingerbread man. Yes, let's do! said a little old man whose reading has been interrupted by that sudden possibility. Wearing their aprons this genteel pair shaped the little arms, and they shaped the little legs...with raisins they made the little eyes and the little nose...then with sugar glaze, they dressed him in a fancy suit of clothes. This is no ordinary retelling of a familiar cumulative tale but rather a handsomely designed, full-color version printed on heavy creamy paper with hand- lettered display type. It's not too fancy to catch the fancy of the preschoolers who will enjoy Aylesworth's spirited oral style. There's enormous child appeal in the cookie chase involving McClintock's wonderfully costumed butcher with a knife, a black-and-white cow, and a muddy old sow. All wind up staring sadly at the fox. He hadn't left a single crumb for anyone. The artwork was rendered in watercolor, sepia ink, and gouache. (Ages 3-6)

CCBC Choices 1998 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 1998. Used with permission.

From Horn Book

July 1, 1998
This hearty retelling of the well-known tale is distinguished by cheery, lively illustrations. The Gingerbread Man himself is particularly toothsome and delectable; the animals are remarkably anthropomorphic; and the scenery resembles that of the eighteenth-century English artist Thomas Bewick. With even a recipe included, this is altogether an old-fashioned and enjoyable version of a favorite tale.

(Copyright 1998 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From School Library Journal

April 1, 1998
PreS-Gr 2-An excellent rendition of an oft-told tale that demonstrates that there is always room for one more Gingerbread Man on the shelves. Aylesworth has done a perfect job of shaping the text to read aloud smoothly with good repetitive phrases that ring true, such as the Gingerbread Man's response to his pursuers: "No! No!/I won't come back!/I'd rather run/Than be your snack!" The text is matched beautifully with an excellent layout and McClintock's illustrations. Using watercolors, sepia ink, and gouache, the artist has created pictures with an old-fashioned look to them, which she attributes to the influence of the 19th-century French illustrator, Grandville. They also are somewhat reminiscent of the work of Randolph Caldecott. McClintock's anthropomorphic animals are wonderfully realized, especially the wily fox, and the Gingerbread Man is a saucy fellow dressed in a blue jacket and hat, with hands on hips and a big smile. The book comes complete with a recipe on the back cover. A satisfying version in every way.-Judith Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA

From Booklist

Starred review from April 1, 1998
Ages 2^-5. With a chanting, rhythmic text and vital narrative pictures, this version of the popular folktale will be a favorite for storytelling with young preschoolers. Egielski's recent "Gingerbread Boy" (1997) is set in modern-day New York City, but McClintock's illustrations, in watercolor, sepia ink, and gouache, are traditional in style and setting, reminiscent of some early Mother Goose illustrations. Once upon a time, a cheerful old man and a cheerful old woman in their old-fashioned cozy house decided to make a gingerbread man. A series of pictures shows how they bake him, step by step. Then to their consternation, he pops out of the oven and runs away. Now they are no longer smiling--they are mad. They race after the smiling little gingerbread kid, who shouts, "No! No! I won't come back! I'd rather run than be your snack!" He runs from a butcher, an elegant cow, a muddy old sow--until a sly, bookish fox tricks him and gobbles him up. There is a great scene in which all the pursuers, human and animal, stand fuming and helpless while the fox licks its lips and leaves not even a crumb. ((Reviewed April 1, 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)