This week we read the Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth, which is the traditional story of the Gingerbread Man, when he jumps out of the oven and runs away from the husband, wife, and various animals before being eaten by the fox. On Friday we read Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup. In this version a boy makes cookies to leave out for Santa, and they come alive once he falls asleep. The pirate captain tries to rescue his sailors from jail (the cookie jar), and eventually Santa gives them a ship at the end of the story. We talked about how the author of Gingerbread Pirates created her own characters based on the gingerbread man. Then we used that idea to create our own characters. Some students chose traditional gingerbread girls and boys, but we also had a gingerbread bride, a gingerbread soldier, gingerbread zombies and gingerbread angels.
We have started a unit on folktales and fairytales, beginning with the story of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears. This week we read Jan Brett’s version, and then retold the story in writing, saying what happened at the beginning, middle, and end of the story. 
Later we read a slightly changed version called “Dusty Locks and the Three Bears”, which is set in a wild west town. In this telling, Dusty Locks is a little girl who never bathes, hence her name. She visits the bears’ house, eats their porridge, breaks the chair, and falls asleep in the bed, just like the traditional version. The surprise comes at the end, when Dusty’s mother makes her take a bath, and the bears pass her on the street without recognizing her. We discussed with partners what was the same and what was different between Dusty Locks and Goldilocks. 
On Friday we read “Somebody and the Three Blairs.” This story really twists the folktale: the Blairs, a nice human family, go out for a walk. While they are gone Somebody (Baby Bear) decides to break into their house, and he causes all sorts of mischief. The funniest moment comes at the end, when Baby Blair discovers Somebody sleeping in his bed and says “Issa big teddy bear!” The kids loved it!
