The Gingerbread Man

One sunny morning, an old baker made a little gingerbread man. He gave him raisin eyes, a candy smile and three icing buttons down his tummy. The whole kitchen smelled of ginger and honey. Then the oven door creaked open… and out jumped the gingerbread man!

(Sing the rhyme in a bouncy voice. You will sing it again, so teach it to your child.)

“Run, run, as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” he sang, and off he ran, out of the door and down the lane. The baker hurried after him, puff, puff, puff, but his old legs were slow.

Soon he passed a cow in a green meadow. “Moo! Stop, little cookie, you smell so good!” But the gingerbread man only laughed. “Run, run, as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” And the cow joined the chase, clomp, clomp, clomp.

(Count the chasers on your fingers and let your child sing the rhyme with you.)

Next came a horse, neigh! Then a farmer in a straw hat. Soon there was a baker, a cow, a horse and a farmer, all running, thump, thump, thump, and at the front, one very fast cookie, singing his song.

At last the gingerbread man came to a wide, wide river. He stopped, puffing. “Oh dear, I can’t swim! I would go all soggy!” Behind him he could hear thump, thump, thump. And on the riverbank sat a sly fox, with a very smooth smile.

(A smooth, slow voice for the fox. A small, brave voice for the gingerbread man.)

“Hop on my tail, little friend, and I will take you across,” said the fox. But the gingerbread man saw how the fox’s eyes shone, and how his smile was just a bit too big. He remembered the baker’s smile in the warm kitchen, a kind smile, not a hungry one. “No, thank you, Mr. Fox,” he said.

The fox sniffed, shrugged, and slipped away into the reeds. Then, round the bend, came the baker, the cow, the horse and the farmer, all puffing and panting. The gingerbread man waited for them. “I’m sorry I ran away,” he said in a small voice. “I only wanted to see the world.”

(Slow right down for the last page. Whisper “Goodnight”.)

“I made you because I wanted a friend,” said the baker, and he laughed a big, kind laugh. They all walked home together, slowly this time. In the kitchen the baker lined a little tin with soft cloth, made a cosy bed, and tucked the gingerbread man in. Outside the window, the stars came out. Goodnight, little gingerbread man. Goodnight, you.