The Gingerbread Man

A Special Cookie

Once upon a time, a little old woman and a little old man lived in a cosy cottage. They had no children of their own.

"I know," said the little old woman one morning. "I shall bake a gingerbread man!"

She mixed the dough. She rolled it flat. She cut out a little man with two arms and two legs. She gave him raisins for eyes and a big sugar smile. Then she popped him in the hot oven.

When the timer went ding!, she opened the oven door. And what do you think happened? The little Gingerbread Man jumped right out and ran out of the door!

Run, Run, As Fast As You Can!

"Stop!" cried the little old woman. "I want to eat you!"

But the Gingerbread Man only laughed and called back:

"Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"

The little old woman ran after him. The little old man ran after him too. But the Gingerbread Man was too fast. He ran down the road, laughing all the way.

More Hungry Friends

Soon the Gingerbread Man ran past a cow.

"Stop!" mooed the cow. "You look so tasty. I want to eat you!"

But the Gingerbread Man just laughed and sang:

"I ran from a woman, I ran from a man, And you can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"

Next he ran past a horse.

"Stop!" neighed the horse. "I want to eat you!"

But the Gingerbread Man ran on, faster and faster, singing his song. The cow could not catch him. The horse could not catch him. Nobody could catch him at all. The Gingerbread Man was very, very proud.

The River

The Gingerbread Man ran and ran — until he came to a wide, deep river.

"Oh no," he said. "I cannot swim. If I jump in the water, I will go all soggy!"

Just then, a fox came trotting by. He had a sly smile and a bushy red tail.

"You look worried, little Gingerbread Man," said the fox in a soft, kind voice. "Do you want to cross the river? Hop onto my tail, and I will carry you over."

The Gingerbread Man was glad. He jumped onto the fox's bushy tail, and the fox began to swim.

A Sly Trick

When they reached the middle of the river, the fox said, "The water is getting deep. Hop onto my back, or you will get wet."

So the Gingerbread Man hopped onto the fox's back.

A little later, the fox said, "The water is deeper still. Hop onto my nose, where it is nice and dry."

So the Gingerbread Man hopped onto the fox's long nose.

And just as they reached the far bank — SNAP! — the sly fox tossed back his head and gobbled the Gingerbread Man up in one big bite.

Gulp!

"Mmm," said the fox, licking his lips. "Now THAT was a tasty treat."

What the Gingerbread Man Learned

And so the Gingerbread Man, who had been so very proud and run so very fast, was caught at last — by a clever fox who pretended to be a friend.

If only he had not been quite so boastful, and a little more careful, things might have ended differently. But that is the end of the tale of the runaway Gingerbread Man.

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The moral: Don't be too proud or boastful, and take care when a stranger seems just a little too friendly.

Want more read-along tales? Try The Tortoise and the Hare or The Lion and the Mouse next.