The Gingerbread Man
A freshly baked gingerbread cookie comes to life and runs away, leading everyone on a merry chase.
Age
4-8
Words
1751
Author
Traditional Folk Tale
Chapters
1. The Little Old Woman 👵
Once upon a time, there was a little old woman.
She lived in a cottage with her husband.
They were a happy couple.
But they were lonely.
They had no children.
One day, the little old woman had an idea!
"I'll bake a gingerbread man!" she said.
"He will be like a little boy for us!"
The little old man thought this was wonderful!
"What a great idea!" he said.
2. Baking the Gingerbread Man 🧑🍳
The little old woman got to work.
She mixed flour, butter, and sugar.
She added ginger and spices.
She rolled out the dough carefully.
The kitchen smelled delicious!
She cut the dough into the shape of a boy.
She gave him raisin eyes.
She gave him a raisin nose.
She gave him a raisin mouth that smiled.
She added raisin buttons down his front.
"Perfect!" she said.
She put the gingerbread man in the oven.
She set the timer carefully.
The smell of gingerbread filled the house!
"Mmm!" said the little old man.
"I can't wait to see him!"
3. Coming to Life! 🎭
When the timer rang, the old woman opened the oven.
She reached in to take out the gingerbread man.
But suddenly, something amazing happened!
The gingerbread man jumped up!
He was alive!
"Catch me if you can!" he shouted.
He jumped right out of the oven!
He ran across the kitchen floor!
The little old woman gasped!
The little old man jumped up!
"Stop! Stop!" cried the little old woman.
"We want to eat you!"
But the gingerbread man just laughed!
He ran toward the door!
He was very fast!
The gingerbread man ran out the door singing:
"Run, run, as fast as you can!
You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
He laughed as he ran away!
4. The Chase Begins 🏃
The little old woman and the little old man ran after him!
They ran down the garden path!
They ran past the flowers!
They ran as fast as they could!
But the gingerbread man was faster!
"Stop!" they called.
"Come back!"
But the gingerbread man just ran faster!
He felt proud and happy!
Nobody could catch him!
5. The Cow 🐄
The gingerbread man ran through a field.
A cow was eating grass there.
She saw the gingerbread man running.
"You look delicious!" mooed the cow.
"Stop so I can eat you!"
But the gingerbread man laughed!
"I ran away from a little old woman!
I ran away from a little old man!
And I can run away from you too!"
He sang his song:
"Run, run, as fast as you can!
You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
The cow started running after him!
Now three were chasing the gingerbread man!
But he was still faster than all of them!
6. The Horse 🐴
Next, the gingerbread man ran past a stable.
A horse was standing there.
The horse saw him running.
"You smell wonderful!" neighed the horse.
"Stop so I can eat you!"
The gingerbread man laughed even louder!
"I ran away from a little old woman!
I ran away from a little old man!
I ran away from a cow!
And I can run away from you too!"
The horse galloped after him!
His hooves went CLIP CLOP CLIP CLOP!
But the gingerbread man was still faster!
He ran and ran!
He was having so much fun!
"Nobody can catch me!" he shouted.
7. The Pig 🐷
The gingerbread man ran past a pigsty.
A pig was rolling in the mud.
The pig saw him running by.
"You look tasty!" oinked the pig.
"Stop so I can eat you!"
The gingerbread man was very proud now!
"I ran away from a little old woman!
I ran away from a little old man!
I ran away from a cow!
I ran away from a horse!
And I can run away from you too!"
The pig climbed out of the mud.
He started running after the gingerbread man too!
Now five were chasing him!
But the gingerbread man was still the fastest!
He was sure nobody could ever catch him!
8. The Clever Fox 🦊
The gingerbread man came to a wide river.
He stopped at the bank.
The water was flowing fast!
He couldn't swim across!
What should he do?
Suddenly, a fox appeared!
The fox had a bushy red tail.
He had a clever smile.
"Hello, Gingerbread Man," said the fox sweetly.
"Do you need help crossing the river?"
The gingerbread man looked back.
The old woman, the old man, the cow, the horse, and the pig
were all running toward him!
He needed to cross the river fast!
"Yes, please!" said the gingerbread man.
"Can you help me?"
The fox smiled a sly smile.
"Of course!" he said.
"Jump on my tail and I'll swim across!"
9. On the Fox's Tail 🌊
The gingerbread man jumped onto the fox's tail.
The fox started swimming across the river.
The water was cold and deep.
The gingerbread man held on tight!
"This is wonderful!" he thought.
But then the fox said,
"The water is getting deeper!
You'd better move to my back,
or you'll get wet!"
The gingerbread man climbed onto the fox's back.
They kept swimming across the river.
The old woman and others had stopped at the bank.
They couldn't follow anymore!
The gingerbread man was getting away!
He felt very clever!
10. Moving Forward 👃
Soon the fox said again,
"The water is even deeper now!
You'd better move to my head,
or you'll get wet!"
The gingerbread man climbed onto the fox's head.
Then the fox said one more time,
"The water is SO deep now!
You'd better move to my nose,
or you'll get all wet!"
The gingerbread man climbed onto the fox's nose.
The gingerbread man sat on the fox's nose.
He looked ahead at the other side of the river.
"We're almost there!" he said happily.
"You're very kind, Mr. Fox!"
The fox just smiled.
11. SNAP! 😮
They reached the shallow water near the shore.
The fox was almost at the riverbank.
The gingerbread man was about to jump off.
But suddenly...
SNAP!
The fox flipped his nose up!
The gingerbread man flew into the air!
He fell right into the fox's mouth!
CRUNCH!
The fox ate him in two bites!
"Delicious!" said the fox.
He licked his lips.
The gingerbread man was gone!
The fox walked onto the shore.
He looked back at all the others.
They were still on the other side of the river.
They looked sad and disappointed.
12. What Happened to Everyone 🌅
The little old woman and the little old man went home.
They were sad but not surprised.
"Well," said the old woman,
"the gingerbread man was very fast.
But the fox was very clever!"
The cow went back to her field.
The horse went back to his stable.
The pig went back to his mud.
They were all tired from running!
But they had enjoyed the chase!
13. The Fox's Meal 🍽️
The fox walked through the forest.
His tummy was full and happy.
"That was the best meal ever!" he thought.
"The gingerbread man was fast,
but I was smarter!"
He thought about how the gingerbread man had bragged.
"Run, run, as fast as you can!" he remembered.
The fox laughed to himself.
"Being fast isn't everything," he said.
"Sometimes being clever is better!"
14. The Lesson 📖
And what about the gingerbread man?
Well, he learned an important lesson too.
Though it was too late for him!
He had been too proud.
He thought he was faster than everyone.
He thought nobody could catch him.
But he forgot to be careful!
He trusted the wrong person!
The moral of the story is this:
Don't be too proud!
Don't brag too much!
And be careful who you trust!
Even if you're very fast and clever,
someone might be even more clever than you!
15. A New Day 🌄
The next day, the little old woman said,
"Should we bake another gingerbread man?"
The little old man thought about it.
"Maybe just regular gingerbread cookies this time!" he said.
They both laughed!
They baked regular gingerbread cookies.
These cookies didn't come to life!
These cookies didn't run away!
The old woman and old man ate them with tea.
They were delicious!
And so the little old woman and man lived happily.
They never made a running gingerbread man again!
The fox lived happily too,
always remembering his clever trick.
And everyone learned something from the gingerbread man's adventure!