Wild, daring. How do kids react when the dog eats all the 'friend' ginger cookies? The concept and art remind me of an old family favorite, [b:Luigi's All-Night Parking Garage|3475090|Luigi's All-Night Parking Garage|Joshua Schreier|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nocover/60x80.png|3516408] but that wasn't quite as bizarre. ( )

For all the off-beat oddness that Mini Grey seems drawn to, she perfectly captures the imaginary world that children often give to inanimate objects. Ginger Bear (known as Biscuit Bear in the UK) is a cookie made by Horace as he "helps" his mom with baking. Luckily for Ginger Bear (and us), Horace is stopped from eating his cookie and thus ending the story early. Instead Ginger Bear wakes in the night and decides to literally make some friends who then put on an impromptu circus. When Bongo the dog puts an end to the fun, Ginger Bear escapes to a much longer life than most cookies can aspire to although his friends aren't so lucky. Grey's mixed-media illustrations match the odd story with the spread of Horace asleep in bed a good example: Plastic sheep march overhead as Horace sleeps under a bedspread decorated with cookies. The text is rarely arranged linearly on the page but rather moves in and out of the action as needed. With lots to discover in the illustrations, Ginger Bear is a book that children will want to look at and read multiple times even though it's just a little left of center for most adults. ( )

This is the story of Horace and his ginger bear. He makes ginger bear and tries to eat him several times, but his mom always says no. One night, ginger bear goes to the kitchen and bakes other ginger bear friends, only to meet the dog...which turns into a disaster. Ginger bear escapes and realized it isn't safe for him at the house, so he runs away and leaves a note for Horace. The day Horace sees that ginger bear is gone, but recognizes the note and finds ginger bear in the display case at the bakery. Short and sweet story, would complement a gingerbread/holiday unit. ( )

Ginger Bear comes alive at night and creates other Ginger Bears. The dog eats all the other Ginger Bears. Ginger Bear becomes a display at the bakery so she will never get eaten. ( )

This fantasy book tells the story of a young boy who unexpectedly makes a gingerbread bear cookie that becomes personified. As the young boy falls asleep at night, he is unaware that his cookie comes alive and takes on multiple adventures throughout the night. Some of these adventures include, making more gingerbread friends, decorating them to a tee, and having the family dog rip them to shreds. When the young boy awakes from his sleep, he is very disappointed to find that his new ginger friend is missing, but he feels much comforted when he learns he is the new show cookie at the local bakery. Overall, young readers will like the rich realistic fantasy that is portrayed through this book.

Age appropriateness: Primary/ Intermediate

Media: Mixed Media ( )