Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 06/01/2013 PreS-Gr 1—In this follow-up to The Gingerbread Man Loose in School (Putnam, 2011), the same cute cookie, now a classroom staple, is sneaked into a backpack so that he can go on the class field trip to the fire station. When the station's Dalmatian threatens to eat the little Gingerbread Man, he begins a mad scramble for safety: into the kitchen, onto the truck, and down the pole. While he eventually evades Spot, he is soon hanging onto the truck's ladder for dear life as the crew heads to a fire. Full of ridiculous bravado, the little fellow even manages to wrestle a bucking hose and put out the fire, saving the day and earning himself a tiny fire helmet from Company 4. Stylistically reminiscent of Mo Willems's work, Lowery's images vary between panels and full-page art. This silly tale, written in rhyming couplets, will make a fantastic read-aloud.—Jennifer Miskec, Longwood University, Farmville, VA - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 09/01/2013 In this follow-up to The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School, the Gingerbread Man joins the class on a field trip to the fire station. After he is accidently jostled from the safety of a backpack and finds himself face to face with Spot, the fire dog, things start to go awry (“Spot sniffed at my face, taking one sticky lick./ I needed a trick to get out of there quick!”). With Spot in hot pursuit, the Gingerbread Man races through the station, onto a truck, up the pole, into the dormitory, and through the kitchen. When the alarm sounds, he decides to jump back on the truck (“I’ll ride to the rescue,/ as fast as I can./ I want to help, too!/ I’m the Gingerbread Man!”) and ends up helping the firefighters put out the fire. Murray’s tale diverges from the cumulative format and repeated verse of the traditional tale in favor of a more linear rhymed story as the Gingerbread Man explores the station; the result is entertaining, with the Gingerbread Man’s chants effective in advancing the story. The writing is lively and the scansion precise, making the text is extremely readable from start to finish. Lowery’s illustrations feature warm hues encased by bold black outlines. Speech bubbles and panels are used throughout, lending a hybrid graphic novel/picture book feel to the story. Young listeners are certain to cheer for the Gingerbread Man’s successful firefighting venture as much as they enjoy watching him ride the fire hose “like a rodeo bull.” Sound the alarm; you’ll definitely want this one on your shelf before those October field trips to the fire station begin. HM - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.