The Gingerbread Man
A little old woman bakes a boy of gingerbread, and he jumps out of the oven and runs away from everyone he meets. Nobody can catch him, until a sly fox offers to carry him across the river.
Scene 1: A Boy of Gingerbread
The Gingerbread Man. Once upon a time, a little old woman and a little old man lived all alone in a little old house. They had no little boys or girls at all. So one day, the little old woman made a boy out of gingerbread. She gave him a chocolate jacket, cinnamon buttons, and eyes of fat currants. She put him in the oven, and she thought: “Now I shall have a little boy of my own.”
Scene 2: Out He Jumped!
When he was done, she opened the oven door. Out jumped the little Gingerbread Man, and away he ran, out of the door and down the road! The little old woman and the little old man ran after him. But he just laughed and shouted: “Run! run! as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” And they couldn’t catch him.
Scene 3: The Cow
He ran on and on, until he came to a cow by the roadside. The cow said: “Stop, little Gingerbread Man! I want to eat you.” The Gingerbread Man laughed and said: “I have run away from a little old woman, and a little old man, and I can run away from you, I can!” And the cow couldn’t catch him.
Scene 4: The Horse
He ran on and on, till he came to a horse in the pasture. The horse said: “Please stop, little Gingerbread Man. You look very good to eat.” But the Gingerbread Man laughed out loud and said: “Oho! oho! I have run away from a little old woman, a little old man, a cow, and I can run away from you, I can!” As the horse chased him, he looked over his shoulder and cried: “Run! run! as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” And the horse couldn’t catch him.
Scene 5: The Fox
By now, the Gingerbread Man was so proud that he thought nobody could catch him. Soon he saw a fox coming across a field. He shouted: “You can’t catch me!” But the fox said: “Why, I would not catch you if I could.” Just then, the Gingerbread Man came to a river. He could not swim across. The fox said: “Jump on my tail, and I will take you across.”
Scene 6: Across the River
So he jumped on the fox’s tail, and the fox swam into the river. A little way out, the fox said: “You are too heavy on my tail. Jump on my back.” A little farther out, the fox said: “The water will cover you there. Jump on my shoulder.” In the middle of the river, the fox said: “Oh, dear! My shoulder is sinking. Jump on my nose.” So the Gingerbread Man jumped on his nose.
Scene 7: Snap!
The minute the fox reached the shore, he threw back his head, and gave a snap! And that was the end of the Gingerbread Man. Being quick is not enough. Be careful whom you trust.
Moral: Being quick is not enough. Be careful whom you trust.
Questions about The Gingerbread Man
What did the little old woman give the Gingerbread Man for buttons?
Cinnamon buttons.
Where did the Gingerbread Man jump out from?
The oven.
Which animal was in the pasture?
A horse.
Why did the Gingerbread Man need the fox's help?
He could not swim across the river.
Where was the Gingerbread Man when the fox reached the shore?
On the fox's nose.
More stories to read aloud
- The Little Red Hen — The little Red Hen finds a grain of wheat, but the Goose, the Cat and the Dog will not help her plant it, cut it, take it to the mill or bake the bread.
- The Three Billy Goats Gruff — Three billy goats named Gruff must cross a bridge to reach the green hillside, but a great ugly Troll lives underneath and wants to gobble them up.
- The Lion and the Mouse — A Lion catches a little Mouse but laughs and lets her go when she promises to repay him.