PreS-Gr 2—The intrepid cookie from The Gingerbread Girl (Dutton, 2006) is back. This time, her kindly baker parents give her a box of animal crackers for her birthday-the friends she'd always wanted. Predictably, the stampede of baked critters bursts from the box and the familiar chase ensues with a new refrain, "We're wild Animal Crackers,/Hear our fierce roar,/You can't catch us,/We're off to explore!" Each beastie gets its own verse-some rhymes more awkward than others. All of the verses are set off in italics; those by the individual animals are in red, and the chorus is in purple. The animals sport mischievous expressions. Their energetic sprint is conveyed by motion lines, as they leap and scamper away from cow, cat, sheep, etc. The sly fox is up to his usual tricks as he lures the crackers onto his back and tries to devour them mid-river. The Gingerbread Girl rescues her friends by encouraging them to roar loudly. The deafened fox flees and Gingerbread Girl and her prodigal menagerie happily reunite. As in the previous installment, Ernst's pastel gingham backgrounds evoke domestic comfort; her oversize cartoon illustrations are bright and expressive. The story does not break any new ground and is a smidgen too sweet for some tastes, but its familiar formula should please children. A good choice for those in need of snack-related books or extra fractured fairy tales, but an additional purchase for smaller collections.—Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, Chappaqua Library, NY
In her second adventure, no sooner does the Gingerbread Girl greet her new animal cracker friends than they're "off to explore!" Catchy rhyme introduces each character as the story progresses toward its climax: the crackers run into a fox. Luckily, the Gingerbread Girl comes to their rescue, bringing a happy ending to the tale. Gingham backgrounds tone down the pictures of stampeding cookies.
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