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The Gingerbread Man
Printer-friendly versionVersion by Tamara Kula
A very old man and a very old woman lived in a little house. One day, the old man was hungry and he said to his wife, “I’m hungry! I want a cookie.” So the old woman decided to bake a gingerbread man. She mixed together sugar and flour and ginger and butter, and she baked the cookie in the oven. When it was ready, she put the gingerbread man on the windowsill to cool.
But when the old woman wasn’t looking, the cookie jumped out the window and started to run! The old man saw him running down the road, and he yelled, “My cookie is running away! Stop, Gingerbread Man! I want to eat you!”
But of course, the Gingerbread Man didn’t stop running. His little legs ran very fast. While he was running, he sang a song. “Run, run, as fast as you can. You can’t catch me – I’m the Gingerbread Man!”
The old man was too old to run fast, so he watched sadly as his cookie ran away.
First, the Gingerbread Man met a big, black dog. “I love cookies – I’m going to eat you!” said the big, black dog. But the Gingerbread Man ran away quickly, singing, “Run, run, as fast as you can. You can’t catch me – I’m the Gingerbread Man!”
Next, the Gingerbread Man met a fat, brown bear. “I’m so hungry! I’m going to eat you!” said the fat, brown bear. But the Gingerbread Man started running again, singing, “Run, run, as fast as you can. You can’t catch me – I’m the Gingerbread Man!”
The Gingerbread Man ran until he came to a river. “How can I cross the river?” he asked.
“I will take you,” said a sly, green alligator. “Just sit on my back and I will swim across.”
So the Gingerbread Man jumped onto the alligator’s back, and the alligator started swimming. But soon the water got deeper and the alligator said, “Climb onto my head so you won’t get wet.” So the Gingerbread Man climbed onto the alligator’s head.
But soon the water got even deeper, and the alligator said, “Climb onto my nose so you won’t get wet.” So the Gingerbread Man climbed onto the alligator’s nose.
And the alligator ate the Gingerbread Man in one bite!
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