The Gingerbread Man
Once upon a time, a little old woman and a little old man lived in a cozy cottage. One day, the little old woman decided to bake a gingerbread man.
She mixed the dough and rolled it flat. She cut out a gingerbread man shape and gave him raisin eyes, a cherry nose, and a big icing smile. She added three gumdrop buttons down his front.
"What a fine gingerbread man!" she said, and put him in the oven to bake.
Soon, a delicious smell filled the kitchen. The little old woman opened the oven doorâand out jumped the gingerbread man!
He hopped onto the floor and ran out the door, singing:
"Run, run, as fast as you can!
You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
The little old woman and the little old man ran after him. But the gingerbread man was too fast!
He ran past a cow in the field. "Stop, little gingerbread man!" mooed the cow. "I want to eat you!"
But the gingerbread man just laughed and sang:
"I've run away from a little old woman,
A little old man,
And I can run away from you, I can!
Run, run, as fast as you can!
You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
He ran past a horse. "Stop!" neighed the horse. "I want to eat you!"
But the gingerbread man ran faster, singing his song.
He ran past a pig. "Stop!" oinked the pig. "I want to eat you!"
But the gingerbread man just kept running and singing.
Soon the gingerbread man came to a river. He couldn't swim! How would he get across?
A sly fox appeared. "I can help you cross," said the fox sweetly. "Jump on my tail."
The gingerbread man jumped on the fox's tail, and the fox began to swim.
"The water is getting deeper," said the fox. "Climb onto my back."
The gingerbread man climbed onto the fox's back.
"The water is getting even deeper! Climb onto my head."
The gingerbread man climbed onto the fox's head.
"Quick! Climb onto my nose, or you'll get wet!"
The gingerbread man climbed onto the fox's nose. And thenâSNAP!âthe fox tossed the gingerbread man into the air and gobbled him up!
And that was the end of the gingerbread man.
The End