The Gingerbread Boy
by Paul Galdone
Picture book · ages 3–8 · grades K–3 · 320L · 40 pages · 1975
Why we'd hand it over
Galdone's illustrations are the real draw — expressive and dynamic — but the ending (the fox eats the gingerbread boy) is genuinely dark for the very young, so calibrate to your kid's tolerance for consequences.