The Gingerbread Man loses his candy buttons and needs help finding replacements.The cookie from Murray and Lowery's popular picture-book series is back in this graphic novel spinoff. The tale starts with the Gingerbread Man's backstory (he was baked by a class of kids and now lives among them). Upon realizing his buttons are gone, he looks all over the school, including their classroom, the library, and the gym, before hitting the lunchroom. There, he meets a brown-skinned, curly-haired girl who offers to share her cookie. Breaking it open, she finds candies-the perfect replacement buttons for the Gingerbread Man-and he discovers that he's made a new friend. Murray's rhyming text lends itself well to a read-aloud but will also hold solo readers' attention. Lowery's artwork uses an effective combination of full-page images and paneled scenes. An appealing lead, the Gingerbread Man is darling in his hat and bow tie; the teachers and children at his school are racially diverse. No doubt fans of the picture books starring this edible detective will enjoy this tale, even though the plot is a little less compelling than in earlier stories. Ultimately, readers will want to know what the book doesn't answer: What did happen to those original buttons?Not as strong as other installments, but its toothsome hero never really disappoints. (Graphic early reader. 5-8)

There’s no daring escapes, treacherous chases, or taunting from humans of any kind in this emerging reader graphic novel series by debut author Murray, which stars an upbeat Gingerbread Man dealing with a wardrobe malfunction. Baked and decorated by a racially diverse group of schoolchildren, the animated Gingerbread Man is proud to be “part of the class”: he poses happily in a group photo, and is appreciative of his humble pastry abode, jaunty pink-striped sailor hat, frosting bow tie, and two candy buttons—which have suddenly gone missing. His momentary panic turns to resolve (“But I have a plan. I can find them. I’m the Gingerbread Man!”) and, in sunny, boldly lined cartoons that move at a fast clip, Lowry (Santa Shark) portrays the confection as he comically retraces his steps throughout the school, employing the boundless energy that made him fairy tale famous. When a student offers both empathy—“You look kind of down. Why are you wearing that very sad frown?”—and two red candies from a lunchbox cookie, it’s winning times two in this breezy summation of the frustration and triumph surrounding a beloved lost object, embodied by one smart cookie who’s also cute as a button. Ages 5–7. (Jan.)