The Gingerbread Man: Different Twist to a Classic Tale

THE GINGERBREAD MAN: DIFFERENT TWISTS TO A CLASSIC TALE

According to Webster’s Dictionary definition of a fairy tale is a “tale about fairies; an imaginative or legendary story; an incredible statement” (455). Fairy tales is a popular term for short fictional stories. A fairy tale is a kind of folklore or fable. The Volume Library states that folklore is a collection of myths and legends and a fable is told to illustrate a truth or moral (2:1321-1323). In these stories, we meet characters such as witches, princes, queens, talking animals and fairies. One such character is a cookie, which runs and taunts everyone. This character is featured in fairy tales that were told orally and set down on paper by one or more authors. The beauty of this story is the slight differences each time it is told. According to the online article by Reagan Walker, The Gingerbread Man has many versions and is all different from the first written in the 11th century. Of all these versions, The Gingerbread Boy by Richard Egielski, Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett, and The Runaway Tortilla by Eric A. Kimmel are similar in nature but differ in audience appeal, illustrative style and media, and literary elements.

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In the end of the Gingerbread Baby, the naughty little gingerbread baby ends up where he belongs- in his own gingerbread house instead of being eaten by the fox. The Gingerbread Boy is a story that appeals to young children during their cognitive stages of development. He uses oil paint on paper to portray the Southwestern details within the book. The primitive oil paintings feature a palette of sunset colors that appeal to anyone who is reading this version of the classic folktale.

The Runaway Tortilla could be considered as a culturally diverse version of the classic tale. The literary elements or context of the book is important but a good picture storybook needs vivid illustrations to make the book come alive. Brett’s Gingerbread Baby gives us the imagery of a snowbound Swiss village.

Another very important part of any book is the literary elements. The Gingerbread Boy is considered a mixture of cartoon art with expressionism. Kimmel also shows the arrogance of the tortilla when she exclaims “I’m too beautiful to eat” (4). This version can also be considered as an interactive book because the last page has a lift-the-flap gingerbread house, which shows the happy gingerbread baby inside (Brett 31). Egielski uses simple vocabulary and short sentences to appeal to the readers. Just like in all versions of The Gingerbread Man, the gingerbread is the protagonist and is very arrogant. She uses the artistic style of realism.

Approximate Word count = 2107
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

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