The Gingerbread Man

The Gingerbread Man is a bilingual Arabic and English picture book for children aged 4 to 9 that retells the classic tale of the gingerbread man in rhyme.

A man and his wife, tired of eating only cabbage, bake a gingerbread man as a sweet treat. Before they can put down the tray, he jumps up and runs away, singing, "Run, run as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!" He runs past the man, a cow on the farm and a hungry hen, and he will not share even a crumb. At the river, a fox offers to carry him across on his back, and then on his nose to keep him dry. On the other side, the fox flicks him into the air and eats him, as in the traditional story.

The book is made for young readers to improve their reading and grow their vocabulary in both Arabic and English, and its repeated chant makes it easy for children to join in. The ending gives parents a chance to talk about trust: the fox's offer of help was a trick.

Written by Tarik and Rahema Ali, it takes about three minutes to read aloud in English and is music-free.

A man and his wife lived in a cottage, and they were tired of eating only cabbage. So they decided to make something sweet, and they baked a gingerbread man as a treat.

But before they could even put down the tray, the gingerbread man got up and ran away. "Stop!" shouted the man. "Come back, you're our evening snack." The gingerbread man did not stay. He was off on his way, singing, "Run, run as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!"

He ran through the farm, where a cow could not believe her luck. "Stop," said the cow. "I like gingerbread. I shall have you for lunch instead." But the gingerbread man did not care, because he could run faster than a hare, and off he went, singing his song again.

Next he came across a hen whose tummy gave a big rumble. "Stop," said the hen. "Let me taste some of that crumble." But the gingerbread man did not care, and he certainly was not going to share. Off he went again, singing, "Run, run as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!"

Then the gingerbread man came to a river, and a fox came sneaking closer. "Hello," said the fox. "Do you need a ride? Come on my back, and I can take you to the other side." The gingerbread man agreed, and as they set off he sang, "Swim, swim as fast as you can! They can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!"

"You're getting wet," said the fox. "Do you want to avoid the splash? Jump on my nose, and we'll get to the other side in a flash." It did not take them long to cross the river.

"Thank you, fox. I'll see you later," said the gingerbread man. "Not so fast," said the fox. The ride had been a trick, and with a flick of his nose he threw the gingerbread man into the air. Crunch, crunch, crunch. And the gingerbread man never sang his song again.