The Gingerbread Man and the Leprechaun: Loose at the School

In his fifth outing, Murray’s Gingerbread Man—now fully integrated into the school where he was originally on the loose—goes from being chased to doing the chasing after a rascally leprechaun shows up on the scene on a “mess-making spree.” The Gingerbread Man and the other students follow a trail of clues to find the leprechaun, eventually setting up a Rube Goldberg–style trap that thwarts the creature’s plans to trash the school (“With a glint in his eye, he skipped through the door,/ not noticing glue that was spread on the floor”). Lowery tracks the unfolding action in commotion-filled panels and spreads, and Murray’s punchy rhymes deliver a energetic chase with a St. Patrick’s Day twist. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Marietta Zacker, Gallt & Zacker Literary. Illustrator’s agency: Lilla Rogers Studio. (Jan.)