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40 reviews for:
Gingerbread for Liberty!: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution
Mara Rockliff
3.87 AVERAGE
40 reviews for:
Gingerbread for Liberty!: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution
Mara Rockliff
3.87 AVERAGE
Okay, so this is an interesting story about an unknown player in the Revolutionary War and the illustrations are whimsical, colorful, and fitting to the story. My issue is that I found the author's note to be more interesting and clear than the actual text of the picture book. Maybe it's because the text never mentions Christopher Ludwick's name, but just calls him "the baker", which makes the story seem like a fairy tale instead of a factual account. The text of the picture book is just so basic that I didn't really understand that Ludwick was spending his own life savings purchasing flour and baking bread for the Continental Army or that at the end he baked six thousand pounds of bread to feed surrendered British soldiers at the end of the war.
This could be useful in units about the Revolutionary War or the founding fathers, but DO NOT skip the author's note!
This could be useful in units about the Revolutionary War or the founding fathers, but DO NOT skip the author's note!
I adored this book about an unsung hero of the American Revolution. The watercolor illustrations made to look like gingerbread cookies were absolutely stunning. The illustrator used a masking fluid to create the pipes effect.
I picked this one up to read four 4th of July story time simply because we do not have a lot of 4th of July books at our library. I justified it by saying, "well, because of the American Revolution we celebrate the 4th of July, so it works." The book itself, the cover, the illustrations were not appealing to me (though a very clever idea to make all the illustrations look like gingerbread people and things). I was expecting this to be boring and as ancient as the book looked, but I had to use what was available.
I'm a history nerd, so in the end I actually really liked this, though I did find the historical note at the end actually more interesting than the rest of the book. But I was pleasantly surprised by this and really happy I chose to read it for story time.
I'm a history nerd, so in the end I actually really liked this, though I did find the historical note at the end actually more interesting than the rest of the book. But I was pleasantly surprised by this and really happy I chose to read it for story time.
What a fun and clever book! The little-known story of Christopher Ludwick, a German immigrant to America in the 18th century who bakes for a living, and how he joined the Revolutionary cause and became the chief baker for the Continental Army; he talks to the hessian mercenaries to try to convince them to switch sides, and even ended up baking bread to feed the defeated British soldiers. I love this book, not only for the cool German-American connection (my dad is a Hessian too! :-) but for the colorful, cheery, stylized illustrations that make the characters look just like gingerbread. I liked the short, succinct, simple text with repetition ("Not in my America!"), and the amusing comments of the general's underlings and the King's underlings--they all have something to say to echo or to question their leaders. It also has three very big German words in it (for Revolution, Independence, and Liberty), which I've certainly never seen done before in an American picturebook. Kudos! The afterword gives nice details of Christopher's life, and lists the author's sources.
Great story to tell of a real-life baker and his delicious role in the American Revolution. We loved the gingerbread cookie-inspired illustrations.
This would be fun to make a program around. We could even eat gingerbread! :)
A fascinating true tale about an immigrant baker who helped feed soldiers during the Revolutionary War and even persuaded some British soldiers to defect. The illustrations match the text perfectly, with images that resemble gingerbread cookies. The ending could've been more clear because the author made it seem like the baker played an integral part in winning the war. Luckily, an note at the end provides more information. Great read aloud to introduce elementary students to a little bit of American history and prompt discussion about the difference one person can make.
Cute pictures, and a cute story. I didn't feel like I learned as much as I would like, as it didn't tell us many details of how it all happened. Again, makes for a cute story, but whereas I thought it would be a fun one to supplement the 5th grade Revolutionary War curriculum, I don't think I'd use it. I think the kids would either think "So what?" or they'd have a bunch of questions. If they have a lot of questions, it can be nice, to encourage them to do some research, but I'm not sure how much information is out there to be found about this guy.
German-born Christopher Ludwick had come to the Colonies as a young man looking for the opportunity to create his own bakery. He did just that, creating gorgeous gingerbread for his town. When the Revolutionary War began, he was eager to defend his America in any way he could, so he headed off to join General George Washington. When he got there, the soldiers were hungry and complaining about the quality of food they were getting. Ludwick jumped into action, feeing the armies bread from his ovens. But the dangers weren’t done yet. The King of England pulled together armies from other countries and sent them into battle. The soldiers came from Germany and Ludwick offered to see if he could convince them not to fight. Once again it was food and the promise of having enough to eat that convinced the soldiers to lay down their arms. Many battles later, the war was won, but Ludwick and General Washington had one final mammoth baking task ahead of them.
Rockliff keeps the tone of this book quite lighthearted even as Ludwick finds himself taking grave risks with his life. The writing is jolly and merry throughout. The tone suits this baker whose optimism shines on the page and whose patriotism seemed to know no limits. His accomplishments exceed what is shown in this picture book. Make sure to read the Author’s Note at the end of the book to learn more about this amazing patriot and what he did for children and education as well as liberty.
Kirsch’s illustrations are a gingery delight. Done in the forms of elaborate gingerbread cookies, the characters are shown as flat brown cookies with plenty of icing. From the brown outlines to the white lines of icing, there is no mistaking what they are meant to be. They too add a sweet and optimistic feel to this jolly picture book.
An unsung hero of the Revolutionary War and beyond, this picture book celebrates the impact that one man can have in making history. Appropriate for ages 6-8.
Rockliff keeps the tone of this book quite lighthearted even as Ludwick finds himself taking grave risks with his life. The writing is jolly and merry throughout. The tone suits this baker whose optimism shines on the page and whose patriotism seemed to know no limits. His accomplishments exceed what is shown in this picture book. Make sure to read the Author’s Note at the end of the book to learn more about this amazing patriot and what he did for children and education as well as liberty.
Kirsch’s illustrations are a gingery delight. Done in the forms of elaborate gingerbread cookies, the characters are shown as flat brown cookies with plenty of icing. From the brown outlines to the white lines of icing, there is no mistaking what they are meant to be. They too add a sweet and optimistic feel to this jolly picture book.
An unsung hero of the Revolutionary War and beyond, this picture book celebrates the impact that one man can have in making history. Appropriate for ages 6-8.
This is a true tale about a baker who made great contributions to the revolutionary war. It has great illustrations, and a great heart.