The Plan for the Gingerbread House: A STEM Engineering Story

by Darcy Pattison, John Joven (Illustrator)

Overview

The Plan for the Gingerbread HouseA STEM Engineering Story

Come one, come all! The Gingerbread Fair opens soon!

Teams of kids are baking, building, and decorating. The project guidelines are clear: the winning house must stand upright on its own and a gingerbread boy and girl must fit inside.

Sounds easy? It would be except...cookies burn, the icing is too thin, the house caves-in, someone is eating the candy decorations, and-oh!-they forgot about the gingerbread boy and girl.

Follow the team as they struggle to create the perfect gingerbread house. Young engineers will learn to overcome problems and press on to a finished house. At the end, they evaluate their efforts and plan for a better gingerbread house.

Need a winter STEM engineering project? This book inspires the budding engineers to think about the classic gingerbread house in a new way. Written in a lyrical rhyme, it's sure to please the language arts folks, too.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629441580
Publisher:	Mims House
Publication date:	10/01/2021
Pages:	34
Sales rank:	201,559
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.09(d)
Lexile:	630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 10 Years

About the Author

Children's book author and indie publisher Darcy Pattison writes award-winning fiction and non-fiction books for children. Her works have received starred PW, Kirkus, and BCCB reviews. Awards include the Irma Black Honor award, five NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books, Eureka! Nonfiction Honor book, two Junior Library Guild selections, two NCTE Notable Children's Book in Language Arts, and a 2021 Notable Social Studies Trade Books. She's the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor's Arts Award for Individual Artist for her work in children's literature.

John Joven of Bogotá, Columbia studied graphic design at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. He has illustrated over twenty children's books, including Digging for Dinosaurs, A Smithsonian Kids book. His previous Mims House book, A LITTLE BIT OF DINOSAUR, received a starred Kirkus review. Follow his recent work on Instagram: @jjovenart

Editorial Reviews

11/01/2021

K-Gr 2—This lighthearted STEM engineering story revolves around students who successfully and not so successfully build a gingerbread house. The story opens when the teacher tells students the requirements for the gingerbread house project. First, a gingerbread boy or girl must fit inside it. Second, the house needs to be structurally sound and not collapse. Text and illustration are fun and convey the STEM message without being heavy-handed. "These are the walls that should stand straight and tall. We spread the white icing to hold them in place. But this wall's too thick, and that one's too small. It wibbles and wobbles! LOOK OUT! Hold it steady," is accompanied by an illustration of a scared gingerbread youth running away from the falling wall as two children, one in a construction worker hat and another in a chef hat, look on. At the end of the appealing text, there is a list of lessons learned to prevent mishaps. VERDICT Highly recommended for public and school libraries. The title can be used as a read-aloud to a group. It can also be a excellent tool for teachers or librarians to read before assigning STEM projects.—Robin Sofge, Prince William P.L. Syst., VA

School Library Journal