Once upon a time, in a little house with a red door, there lived a little old woman and a little old man. One morning the old woman said, "Let's bake something special today." She mixed flour, ginger, honey and butter. Stir, stir, stir. She rolled the dough flat and cut out a little man. She gave him raisin eyes, a cherry-red smile and three raisin buttons, then popped him into the oven.
Soon the kitchen smelled warm and spicy. "He must be ready," said the old woman, and she opened the oven door. Pop! Out jumped the Gingerbread Man! He did a little dance on the floor and shouted, "Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!" And off he ran, out of the red door and down the garden path.
"Wait, little one!" called the old woman. "We want to give you icing buttons and a scarf!" "Come back!" called the old man. "We're having a tea party!" But the Gingerbread Man loved running so much that he didn't stop to listen. So the old woman and the old man followed him, puffing and laughing. Puff, puff, puff.
He ran past a cow in a field. "Moo! Stop, little man! Come and play!" But the Gingerbread Man just giggled. "I've run from a little old woman and a little old man, and I can run from you, I can! Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!" So the cow followed too. Clip, clop, moo.
He ran past a horse. "Neigh! Slow down, you'll get tired!" But the Gingerbread Man giggled. "I've run from a little old woman, a little old man and a cow, and I can run from you, I can! Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!" So the horse followed too. Gallop, gallop, neigh.
Then the Gingerbread Man came to a wide, rushing river, and he stopped. "Oh no," he said. "If I jump in, I'll go all soggy and crumbly. How will I get across?" Behind him he could hear everyone coming. Puff, puff! Clip, clop! Gallop, gallop!
Just then, a fox with a fluffy orange tail trotted out of the reeds. "Hello," said the fox. "You look stuck. I'm a good swimmer. Would you like a ride across?" The Gingerbread Man looked at him. "People say foxes are tricky." The fox's ears drooped. "I know. That's why nobody plays with me. But I promise I'll keep you dry and safe."
The Gingerbread Man thought for a moment, then hopped onto the fox's tail. Splash, splash, the fox began to swim. "The water's getting deeper. Hop onto my back." Hop! "Deeper still. Hop onto my head." Hop! "Almost there. Sit on my nose." Hop! And the fox paddled carefully to the other side and set him down on the grass, as dry as toast. "You did it! Thank you, Fox!"
The fox sat down beside him. "Can I ask you something? Why are you running away?" The Gingerbread Man scratched his head. "I just love running!" The fox looked back across the river. "Everyone over there looks like they want to be your friend. I wish someone would chase me to invite me to a tea party."
The Gingerbread Man looked too. He saw the old woman waving a tiny scarf, the old man smiling, and the cow and the horse catching their breath. "Oh," he said. "They just wanted to play with me." He turned to the fox. "Fox, will you be my friend? And will you come to the tea party too?" The fox's tail wagged and wagged. "Yes, please!"
So the fox carried him back across the river. Tail, back, head, nose, splash, splash! The Gingerbread Man ran straight to the old woman. "I'm sorry I didn't listen. Here I am!" She laughed and gave him three sugary icing buttons and a tiny woolly scarf. "And who is this?" "This is my friend Fox. He's very kind."
Everyone went back to the little house with the red door for a tea party, with bread and jam, apple slices and warm milk, and fresh hay for the cow and the horse. Then they played chase in the garden. "Run, run, as fast as you can!" everyone sang, running round and round until they all flopped down in the grass, giggling. And from that day on, the Gingerbread Man and Fox were best friends, racing by the river every Sunday afternoon.
Parent tip: Chant "Run, run, as fast as you can!" a little faster each time it comes back, and let your child pat their knees like running feet.
Ask your child: After the story, you can ask: “Who was kind in this story, and what did they do?”
This gentle retelling keeps the Gingerbread Man safe the whole time; the chase is a game and the fox is a true friend.