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Catch That Cookie!

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Solve the riddles to find the runaway gingerbread men in this funny and magical cookie hunt!

Marshall knows one thing for sure, despite what all the stories Gingerbread men cannot run. Cookies are for eating, and he can't wait to eat his after spending all morning baking them with his class. But when it's time to take the gingerbread men out of the oven . . . they're gone! Now, to find those rogue cookies, Marshall and his class have to solve a series of rhyming clues. And Marshall just might have to rethink his stance on magic. Catch That Cookie! is an imaginative mystery, deliciously illustrated by Caldecott Medal winner David Small. It's sure to inspire a new classroom tradition . . . and maybe even a few new believers!

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 14, 2014

4 people are currently reading
142 people want to read

About the author

Hallie Durand

10 books16 followers
Hallie Durand (the pen name for Holly M. McGhee) began writing in 2007 and has published the Dessert First chapter book trilogy, two picture books about a boy named Mitchell (Mitchell's License & Mitchell Goes Bowling), and another picture book about her son Marshall (Catch That Cookie!).

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5 stars
129 (23%)
4 stars
242 (44%)
3 stars
150 (27%)
2 stars
18 (3%)
1 star
2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
Profile Image for Tj Shay.
209 reviews
August 18, 2014
Sweet and clever, this is a great and fun book.
33 reviews2 followers
February 11, 2018
This clever take on the gingerbread man story focuses on the "hunt" that so many school-aged children go on with their teacher! Marshall is positive there is no such thing as a runaway gingerbread man but he soon finds himself caught up in the class' scavenger hunt. This is an excellent read aloud for gingerbread day!
Profile Image for Dorine White.
Author 7 books111 followers
December 9, 2014
The Story-
Marshall and his class have been learning about Gingerbread cookies all week long. They've also heard the tale of The Little Gingerbread Boy. So, when his teacher announces that they are going to bake their own cookies, he is so excited. He doesn't believe that gingerbread cookies can run away for real, but then they do! His school class has to follow a bunch of clues left by the absent gingerbread men to find their treats. When they find their cookies, it is if they really did run away.

My Thoughts-
What a heart warming tale that allows magic to exist in the world. I really loved watching my son as he heard the story. He loved the author's word choice and giggled throughout the tale. The illustrations are bold and colorful and really catch your attention. This one scored big points! 4 stars.
Author 5 books9 followers
October 6, 2014
This book, Catch That Cookie, is based on an activity that is well known to many young school students. When I was a teacher, the kindergarten teachers had a gingerbread hunt every year. After making their gingerbread men, they had to follow the clues to find where the men had run off to. In this book, Marshall doesn't believe gingerbread men can run away, until he sees it for himself. His class follows the clues until the gingerbread men are caught. What a fun journey!

The illustrations in this book are delightful and colorful with sprinkles of humor throughout. The character of the teacher is so much fun. She gives fist bumps and lots of encouragement. What fun it would be to buy this book and have a gingerbread hunt with your own little one!
Profile Image for Brooke Hicks.
28 reviews
December 7, 2014
This was an awesome picture book about a gingerbread man that got away after being made in class, I read this book for my boyfriend's two sons and they absolutely loved it. They started reading along with me and were obsessed with the picture quality. I thought the story was very intriguing and kept the reader wanting to follow along. The book also had a lot of suspense which I personally love. The illustrations used color to depict the characters that were in action. Whenever the illustrator wanted the reader to focus on something they made that object or person in color and the other things black and white. I thought this was a unique quality that stood out while reading.
Profile Image for Samantha.
4,985 reviews60 followers
September 9, 2014
Marshall's class does a unit on The Gingerbread Man at school. After listening to the story all week and making his own tasty Gingerbread Man he doubts that the cookies will run away like in the book. What follows is a mystery complete with rhyming clues detailing the cookies' journey.

Good story! Thoroughly satisfying with a great ending. I like the characterization here and the rhyming clues are fun for solving along with Marshall and his classmates.

Pen and ink, watercolor and colored pencil artwork. PreK-2.
Profile Image for Kelsey.
2,354 reviews66 followers
August 21, 2014
Age: Kindergarten-2nd grade
Fairytale: about the Gingerbread Man

One reluctant boy with a dwindling imagination can't stand listening to one more story about gingerbread men. "They can't run!" he declares. Well, when the class makes their own gingerbread cookies, they are no where to be found, leaving hints along the way. Intrigued by the chase, Marshall decides to solve the mystery of the runaway cookies.

A cute celebration of imagination that does NOT end with a wink to the parents that it was fake the whole time--further nurturing a belief in the fantastical.
Profile Image for Maddyd.
9 reviews
December 5, 2014
Marshall is a down to earth kid. He knows gingerbread men can’t run. But when they do indeed disappear from the oven at school he’s pulled into the scavenger hunt. They race from one clue to the next trying to solve the mystery of the missing gingerbread men. At the end of the day Marshall knows the G-men can run and will if you give them a chance. Lock the doors, Dad! Watch Marshall problem solve. This book is just so much fun with David Small’s illustrations it’s a perfect recipe.
Profile Image for Wendy.
367 reviews9 followers
August 22, 2016
What a gem! Illustrations by David Small. I suspect this will be a huge hit this fall. As a companion to the traditional gingerbread man story or all by itself, this clever picture book celebrates the power of "believing". Sure to be read again and again. P.S. The drawing with Raggedy Ann and Barbie napping on the floor was hysterical.
Profile Image for Heydi Smith.
3,157 reviews9 followers
September 27, 2014
A great story to read during the winter months and in conjunction with The Gingerbread Story. I think this would be a great book for storytimes about cookies or food. A good flannelboard would be The Runaway Cookies or the Cookie Jar People (same story, but called different things).
Profile Image for Lisa D.
3,165 reviews46 followers
August 28, 2014
Cute book, enjoyed it, great read
Profile Image for Tracie.
1,957 reviews
August 15, 2014
A boy is skeptical that the gingerbread people he and his classmates have made are on the loose.
Profile Image for Katie.
745 reviews16 followers
September 6, 2014
Cute for the K-2 set who's skeptical of folk tales like the Gingerbread Man. Some great vocabulary words like "sleuthing".
Profile Image for Amanda.
469 reviews61 followers
September 6, 2014
Super fun take on the story of the Gingerbread Man. Great for a read aloud to slightly older children... especially those having trouble using their imagination!
Profile Image for Liz Todd.
2,154 reviews
January 3, 2018
Loved this. I know exactly who needs to read this book. The question is whether I really need to read it to the whole class and raise the question of whether gmen can really run. Loved this.
Profile Image for Lynn.
2,882 reviews15 followers
September 15, 2014
Original retelling of a traditional favorite may become a new favorite! This is a dilemma my students face annually, and they also come to believe in the life of gingerbread men!
Profile Image for Bonnie.
927 reviews7 followers
September 21, 2014
Perfect for those skeptical kindergarteners when they read gingerbread baby, etc. Durand perfectly captures the attitude of such kids and the teacher who is trying to maintain the mystery.
Profile Image for Naomi.
4,795 reviews143 followers
October 12, 2014
Adorable, interactive picture book for kids-just in time for Christmas. Loved the catchy, rhyming tone. Where did the gingerbread men go?
4,066 reviews29 followers
November 5, 2014
A great mix of fun from Durand's spicy story to David Small's sweet illustrations. Perfect for the all the small skeptics out there who really WANT to believe.
Profile Image for Jason.
3,942 reviews26 followers
February 24, 2015
How do you possibly eat that cookie once you know it's been running around? I mean, it's long since violated the 5-second rule, among other compelling reasons.
Profile Image for McKenzie Richardson.
Author 70 books65 followers
April 5, 2018
For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle

Well, that certainly wasn't what I was expecting. In this slightly creepy wintery story, Marshall is convinced that gingerbread cookies can't run, until the evidence suggests otherwise. At first I thought it would be a cute story about hunting for the missing cookies that the teacher hid. But it kind of turns into a weird, creepy tale of sentient creatures (able to write, plan, and rhyme) being hunted down and eaten by small children. Kind of weird.

The story itself was interesting and entertaining, but after putting two seconds of thought into it, I was considerably creeped out. I think kids could enjoy this as long as they don't put too much thought into the idea of food walking around and playing tag.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews

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