December Book-a-Day 2: Gingerbread Baby

Each day in December we will be sharing one of our favorite Christmas storybooks and an activity to go along.

Book

If you are not familiar with Jan Brett's beautiful children's books, then you are missing out. Gingerbread Baby is one of my favorites. The illustrations are so detailed and exquisite. My favorite part of the illustrations are the gingerbread cutouts on the sides of the page that show a little snippet of another part of the story. Although not specifically a Christmas book, Gingerbread Baby is one of my favorites to read in December.

I am the Gingerbread Baby
Fresh from the pan.
If you want me,
Catch me if you can!

Little Matti was making a gingerbread boy with his mother and made the mistake of peeking in the oven before the gingerbread boy was finished cooking. Out popped the gingerbread baby and away he ran! He runs through the town as animals and villagers join in to try to catch him. He's a spunky little guy who isn't too shy to boast about outsmarting them all. But he finally is outsmarted when he's lured into a little gingerbread house by Matti.

Activity

Jan Brett has a really fantastic website full of wonderful ideas to go along with her many books. There are many ideas for Gingerbread Baby but I think the obvious, and most fun, would be making gingerbread babies!

She shares a recipe for the gingerbread babies here and a recipe for the icing here. You can even watch a video her making gingerbread babies!

We're linked up at ABC and 123 Show and Tell