The Gingerbread Cowboy: A Rodeo-Romping Western Picture Book for Kids

by Janet Squires, Holly Berry (Illustrator)

"Giddyup, giddyup as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"

The Gingerbread Cowboy can run from the rancher, he can dash past the javelinas, and he can giddyup right by the cattle grazing on the mesa. But what happens when he meets a coyote sleeping in the sun?

Janet Squires and Holly Berry retell this classic tale with a Wild Western flair, filled with rodeo-romping fun.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Christmas, Folklore, Storytime, Westerns

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2006

About the author

I write fiction and nonfiction for children and adults.

My debut Western historical novel, Desperate Straits is a 2015 Peacemaker Award finalist.

I donate a portion of the proceeds from MONTY The Courageous Survival of a Rescue Dog to animal rescue organizations.

My picture book, The Gingerbread Cowboy, is the Arizona Governors 2007 First Grade Book and a special edition of 100,000 copies was printed for distribution to every first grade student in Arizona.

My interest in the historic West stems from the stories I heard growing up. My family pioneered their way through Texas, New Mexico and Arizona as ranchers, miners and lawmen. My favorite activity is any one that involves horses . . .

Or dogs . . . I can't remember a time when I didn't share my life with at least one. My interest in animal rescue and welfare issues made writing Monty's story an opportunity I couldn't resist. I've fostered numerous dogs in addition to the rescues that are part of my family. I've worked to raise awareness about puppy mills, bailed dogs out of shelters, bottle-fed orphaned puppies, and cared for the sick and injured. I support a variety of rescue organizations.

I teach writing workshops and lecture on children's books, literacy, storytelling, and the creative writing process for children and adults. I'm a member of SCBWI, Women Writing the West, Western Writers of America, and Western Fictioneers.

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

the same as the gingerbread boy

[Amber Goebel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite versions of the gingerbread boy story. In this version, the farmer and his wife are replaced by the rancher and his wife and the animals of the original telling are replaced with desert/southwest fauna, such as horny toads, roadrunners, and longhorn steer. The illustrations are playful, bright, and funny and depict a silly story of a gingerbread cowboy who runs away singing, "Giddyup, giddyup as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man." I can't help but read this one in my best southern accent!

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful classic children's fable that adds a Texas Western take on the story. There are short paragraphs for the 4 to 8 year old and there are colorful drawings related to the story on each page. This book is ideal for any household with young children. This was a free review copy obtained through Goodreads.com and autographed by the author.

[Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this book

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute re-telling of the Gingerbread Man with a western theme. Exaggerated, of course (she's wearing a cowboy hat in the kitchen, while cooking!)

The Gingerbread Man is dressed as a cowboy. The landscape is that of a western desert. The animals include javelinas and a roadrunner and our villain, the coyote.

Has his repeating statement "Giddyup, giddyup as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread man." Only has the list of who he's running from at the end, so he doesn't build the list with each person/group/animal he's running from.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this one out loud. There are a lot of connections that can be made with this book as well. The illustrations are detailed enough that younger readers can be asked to point out different images. The book also mentions several animals or plants native to Texas that could be further explored in research. Ranching is also introduced which could definitely be a historical connection. Also for anyone who is looking at retellings of fairy tales or tall tales, this book is a great addition to the collection.

[Feralucce Savage · Rating 3 out of 5]

A folksy, Southwest retelling of The Gingerbread Man that helps reinforce gender roles, stereotypes about coyotes, and introduces small children to the concept of javelinas, wild pigs who eat cactus and make a nuisance of themselves in parts of Texas. The art style is simple and colorful. The rhyme scheme is a little forced sometimes, but it's more like watching a gymnast or figure skater pull off a complicated trick that they didn't really need the points for than like people who try to rhyme "rain" and "again". Not bad.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

We checked this novel out from the library at our son's instance because he had read it previously at school; however, I found that I did not like it at all. There was not a good meaning behind it and it presented a rather cocky attitude overall. This was not pleasing and the cookie unfortunately got what he deserved in the end.

[AMY · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great western version with good pictures. There are lots of desert animals that want to eat the gingerbread man: a horned lizard, a roadrunner, javelinas, long-horned cattle, and a coyote. The only thing is the picture on the last page is really strange! And quite shocking! A pretty good story. Recommended for Grades K-2.

[Kate Matheis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is exactly the same as the original, the only difference is they use cowboy themed language. For example the gingerbread cowboy says, "Giddyup, giddyup as fast as you can." I was surprised that in this version he gets eaten by the coyote. Most newer versions of this story have written this out.

[Mac Rizzuto · Rating 4 out of 5]

1st grade teacher here!

My class does a gingerbread theme and we read several books in December that have a similar story:
The gingerbread man
The gingerbread cowboy
The Ninjabread
The gingerbread Pirates
The gingerbread Girl
It is fun to compare and contrast the similarities, sequence the stories, and even write our own!

[Ms. Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book that goes along with the classic story. I use it in my class to compare and contrast different engaging stories and it is perfect for that. It also uses a lot of new vocabulary that I can teach to my students.

[Rebekah Mohr · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute and fun! My kinder class always loves this one. It’s a great way to learn about some Texas wildlife and compare/contrast with the original story. Bonus fun if you read it with a country accent.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book!

[Amanda Knowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! Great Kids book! Perfect for little boys!

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting (& fairly Texan) version of the Gingerbread Man story.

[Ashley Shrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would read this just to have a fun day with the students. Maybe do an activity with them about the old west.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best "gingerbread" stories out there.

[Anna Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A more modern, western take the the Gingerbread Man story. Pretty funny with some great illustrations.

[Alex Richey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute. You can watch/listen to this story on YouTube.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this book as a comparison and contrast book to the original Gingerbread Man book. Great fractured fairy tale to use with kiddos.

[Lara Samuels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Million different versions of this story but it was a good chance to talk about what happens if one element in the story changes. Worth reading aloud again for the story conversations.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love how this classic is set in the Wild West. Would be a great way to introduce Parody. Good writing challenge, too.

[Mellanie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this!

[Angela (Kentuckybooklover) Brocato-Skaggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brooks Elementary Kindergarten

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute story that follows the same traditional features with just a cowboy spin. I read it with my best cowboy twang and the students loved it.

[Sydney Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun and Arizona-y.

[Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know why these nursery rhymes always have such dark endings

[Savanah Kilness]

A fun take on the classic story!!

[Ashley Eason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute retelling of the gingerbread story