One day, a little old woman decided to bake something sweet.
She mixed flour, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Then she shaped the dough into the form of a little man.
She gave him candy eyes, a bright smile, and small buttons down his chest.
“What a fine gingerbread man,” she said, placing him carefully in the oven.
Soon, a warm, sweet smell filled the kitchen.
After a while, she opened the oven door.
But before she could reach in,
the gingerbread man jumped up!
He leaped out of the oven, ran across the table, and dashed straight out the door.
“Stop!” cried the old woman. “Come back!”
But the gingerbread man just laughed as he ran down the path.
“Run, run as fast as you can!
You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”
The old woman hurried after him.
Just outside, her husband looked up from his work.
“What’s happening?” he asked.
“He’s running away!” she cried. “Help me catch him!”
The old man joined the chase.
But the gingerbread man was too quick.
“Run, run as fast as you can!
You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”
Soon, he passed a cow grazing in a field.
“Stop there,” said the cow. “You look very tasty.”
But the gingerbread man only laughed and ran faster.
“Run, run as fast as you can!
You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”
The cow followed behind.
A little farther ahead, he met a horse.
“Where are you going?” asked the horse. “You would make a fine meal.”
But the gingerbread man did not stop.
“Run, run as fast as you can!
You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”
The horse joined the others.
The gingerbread man ran and ran until he reached a river.
The water moved quickly, and he stopped at the edge.
“Oh no,” he said softly. “I cannot cross. I will get wet and fall apart.”
Just then, a fox appeared from behind a tree.
“Why do you look worried?” asked the fox.
“I need to cross the river,” said the gingerbread man. “But I cannot swim.”
The fox smiled.
“I can help you,” he said. “Climb onto my back, and I will carry you across.”
The gingerbread man looked behind him.
The old woman, the old man, the cow, and the horse were getting closer.
He had no time to wait.
“Alright,” he said, and climbed onto the fox’s back.
The fox stepped into the water and began to swim.
The river grew deeper.
“Move a little higher,” said the fox. “The water is rising.”
So the gingerbread man climbed onto the fox’s head.
They moved farther across.
After a while, the fox said again,
“The water is very deep now. You should sit on my nose.”
The gingerbread man hesitated for a moment.
But the others were still coming.
So he moved onto the fox’s nose.
For a second, everything was still.
Then suddenly,
the fox tossed his head.
Snap!
The gingerbread man was gone.
And that was the end of the gingerbread man.
Moral of the Story
Do not trust strangers too easily.
Think and Answer
- Who made the gingerbread man?
- What did the gingerbread man do when he came out of the oven?
- Who chased the gingerbread man?
- Why did the gingerbread man trust the fox?
- What happened at the end of the story?
Word Power
Oven
A kitchen appliance used for baking or cooking.
Dashed
Ran very quickly.
Grazing
Eating grass in a field.
River
A large natural flow of water.
Hesitated
Paused before doing something.
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