School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-The intrepid cookie from The Gingerbread Girl (Dutton, 2006) is back. This time, her kindly baker parents give her a box of animal crackers for her birthday-the friends she'd always wanted. Predictably, the stampede of baked critters bursts from the box and the familiar chase ensues with a new refrain, "We're wild Animal Crackers,/Hear our fierce roar,/You can't catch us,/We're off to explore!" Each beastie gets its own verse-some rhymes more awkward than others. All of the verses are set off in italics; those by the individual animals are in red, and the chorus is in purple. The animals sport mischievous expressions. Their energetic sprint is conveyed by motion lines, as they leap and scamper away from cow, cat, sheep, etc. The sly fox is up to his usual tricks as he lures the crackers onto his back and tries to devour them mid-river. The Gingerbread Girl rescues her friends by encouraging them to roar loudly. The deafened fox flees and Gingerbread Girl and her prodigal menagerie happily reunite. As in the previous installment, Ernst's pastel gingham backgrounds evoke domestic comfort; her oversize cartoon illustrations are bright and expressive. The story does not break any new ground and is a smidgen too sweet for some tastes, but its familiar formula should please children. A good choice for those in need of snack-related books or extra fractured fairy tales, but an additional purchase for smaller collections.-Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, Chappaqua Library, NY (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
When Gingerbread Girl, who matched wits with a fox in The Gingerbread Girl, opens a box of animal crackers, the animals take off running, and each cracker recites a variation on a snappy, self-referential refrain: "I'll whoop and I'll shout,/ Make a hullabaloo./ You can't catch me,/ I'm the cracker kangaroo!" Along the way, a cat and mouse, a herd of sheep, and a scout troop (among others) join Gingerbread Girl as she gives chase, trying to keep the crackers safe from that wily fox. Ernst's pastel palette is well-suited to this lively story of "Animal Crackers gone wild," which, with words like "menagerie" and "brouhaha," scattered throughout, offers a bit of a vocabulary lesson, too. Ages 3-5. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The Gingerbread Girl returns, and here she's thrilled with a gift from the couple that baked her: animal crackers. However, once they're out of the box, a familiar romp begins: We're wild Animal Crackers / Hear our fierce roar. / You can't catch us, / We're off to explore! Now it's the Gingerbread Girl's turn to be the voice of reason, but the crackers don't listen, and, not surprisingly, they soon meet up with the hungry fox. The rhymes don't always scan, but Ernst's oversize, jovial art carries the day. The clever ending is fun, too.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist