One day, in a cozy kitchen, Baker Woman and Baker Man made a special cookie. They shaped the dough into a little man. They gave him raisin eyes, a frosting smile, and three red candy buttons down his front. The oven was hot and warm. Soon, a sweet smell filled the air. When they opened the oven door, the little cookie jumped up! "Ha ha!" said the Gingerbread Man. "I am alive!" He ran to the window and looked out. The Baker Woman and Baker Man tried to catch him. "Stop!" they said. "Come back!" The Gingerbread Man smiled and sang: "Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!" He sees two paths ahead of him. One leads to the farm with lots of animals. The other leads to the town where many people live.
The Gingerbread Man ran down the path to the farm. His little cookie feet went tap-tap-tap on the ground. Soon he saw a big brown Horse in a field. The Horse looked up and said, "My, my! A running cookie! I can catch you!" The Gingerbread Man just laughed and sang: "Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man! I ran from the Baker Woman, I ran from the Baker Man, And I can run from you, yes I can!" The Horse began to chase him. Behind them, the Baker Woman and Baker Man were still running too! Near the barn, the Gingerbread Man saw a black and white Cow with a bell, and a pink Pig playing in the mud.
The Gingerbread Man ran right past the Cow and Pig. His tiny feet moved so fast! "Moo! What's that?" said the Cow. "Oink! A cookie on the run!" said the Pig. The Cow and Pig joined the chase too! Now the Gingerbread Man had four runners behind him: - The Baker Woman - The Baker Man - The Horse - The Cow - The Pig The Gingerbread Man kept running and singing: "Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man! I ran from the bakers, and Horse too, Now I'm running from Pig and Cow, it's true!" Up ahead, the Gingerbread Man saw a river. The water was wide and blue. He stopped at the edge. He could not swim - his cookie body would get all wet and soggy! A red Fox wearing a brown vest walked up. He had bright, clever eyes. "Hello, little cookie," said the Fox. "Do you need help crossing the river?"
The Gingerbread Man looked at the Fox's friendly smile. Behind him, he could hear the others getting closer. "Yes, please help me!" said the Gingerbread Man. The Fox bowed his head and said, "Jump on my tail. I will carry you across." The Gingerbread Man hopped onto the Fox's bushy tail. The Fox began to walk into the water. "Oh!" said the Fox. "The water is getting deeper. You might get wet on my tail. Jump onto my back!" The Gingerbread Man jumped to the Fox's back. They went further into the river. "Oh my!" said the Fox again. "The water is even deeper now. You should move to my head to stay dry!" The Gingerbread Man, not wanting to get wet, quickly jumped to the Fox's head. The water got very deep in the middle of the river. The Fox looked up at the Gingerbread Man and said, "The water is so high! You might get wet on my head. My nose is the highest point - you'll be safest there!"
The Gingerbread Man looked at the Fox's nose. He was scared of getting wet. So he jumped right onto the Fox's nose. SNAP! With one quick move, the Fox tossed the Gingerbread Man up and caught him in his mouth. "Run, run..." the Gingerbread Man tried to sing, but his voice got softer and softer until it was gone. The Fox smiled and licked his lips. "You were right," he said to no one in particular. "I couldn't catch you... but I could trick you!" The Baker Woman, Baker Man, Horse, Cow, and Pig reached the river bank just in time to see the Fox walking away, patting his full belly with a satisfied grin. And that was the end of the Gingerbread Man who ran so fast but didn't think about being smart.
