The Gingerbread Man
10 pages · 3 min · ages 5+
Based on: English Folk Tale
An old woman baked a cookie. She made a sweet gingerbread man. He had tiny gumdrop eyes. He had a spicy cinnamon nose. The kitchen had a lovely scent. Soon, the oven door opened wide. The gingerbread man jumped right out.
The little man ran very fast. He dashed through the open door. The old woman called to him. 'Wait, little cookie!' she shouted loudly. The gingerbread man just laughed. 'You cannot catch me!' he cried. He ran toward the green garden.
A big cow saw him run. The cow wanted a tasty snack. 'Stop, little man!' the cow mooed. The gingerbread man shook his head. 'I ran away from a woman.' 'I can run away from you!' He sang his fast little song. The cow could not keep up.
A tall horse stood near the gate. He saw the cookie running by. 'Stop, I want to meet you!' The gingerbread man did not stop. He ran past the tall grass. He felt very proud and fast. 'Run, run, as fast as you can!' He was a very speedy cookie.
Three farmers worked in the field. They saw the small ginger man. They waved their big blue hats. 'Come back here!' they called out. The gingerbread man just giggled. He left them far behind him. Running alone was a fun game. He was the fastest man ever.
The gingerbread man reached a river. The blue water moved very quickly. 'Oh no!' the little man cried. He did not want to get wet. A clever fox sat nearby. The fox had a soft tail. He looked at the gingerbread man. 'Do you need some help?'
'Hop on my tail,' said Fox. 'I will carry you across safely.' The gingerbread man felt a bit scared. He jumped on the Fox's back. The Fox swam into the water. The cookie man held on tight. He did not want to crumble. They reached the other side soon.
The fox did not eat him. The fox sat down and smiled. 'Everyone always runs away,' Fox said. 'I just wanted a new friend.' The gingerbread man felt very surprised. 'You do not want a snack?' 'No, I want to talk,' Fox said. The little cookie felt very happy.
The gingerbread man missed his home. Running alone was not very fun. 'Let us go back,' he said. The fox and cookie walked together. They saw the horse and cow. They saw the three busy farmers. The old woman saw them coming. She opened her arms very wide.
Everyone gathered at the small house. The old woman baked more cookies. She made friends for her man. The fox drank some cold milk. The farm animals played outside. The gingerbread man laughed with joy. He liked having many good friends. It was a very happy day.