The Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers by Lisa Campbell Ernst (2011) is a book for young children who love to memorize rhyme. I can imagine this story being read again and again for nursery school circle time. Children will join in when the teacher reads one of the many short rhymes in this book. For example, as a herd of animal crackers runs across a field, farmers hear “I’m strong and I’m fast, Though I smell like vanilla. You can’t catch me, I’m the cracker gorilla!” Each animal cracker has its own rhyme. There’s a refrain also: “We’re wild Animal Crackers, Hear our fierce roar. You can’t catch us, We’re off to explore!” Of course, they encounter the sly fox at the river. Luckily, the Gingerbread Girl catches up to them just in time. Ernst’s illustrations are simple and uncomplicated, very appropriate for this audience.
