The Gingerbread Man

by Nancy Nolte

RUN, RUN as fast as you can.
You can’t catch me—
I’m the Gingerbread Man!

Recently discovered in the Golden Books archive, this favorite folktale has been out of print for over 30 years. The early painterly art style of Richard Scarry looks new and fresh again in this keepsake edition. His lively images will run off the pages and into the hearts of a new generation of children.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Classics, Fiction, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1956

Reviews

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have an earlier edition of this book and have read it to my children and grandchildren. Always a firm favourite especially if we make gingerbread men after the story.

[Jason Koivu · Rating 5 out of 5]

* * * Read and Reviewed by me and my niece Emma * * *

The Gingerbread Man was a HUGE hit! Holy crap, I'd forgotten how the taut tension builds from exciting start to explosive finish! Emma was absolutely enraptured!

Me: "Did you like it?"
Emma: "YES!"
Me: "What was your favorite part?"
She grabbed the book and flipped through every page, saying, "This one...This one...This one...."

The only negative was that when we were finished we really wanted gingerbread cookies and didn't have any at the house.

IMPORTANT REVISION!

We just read this again and, I think, for the first time Emma understood what happens at the end when the fox eats the gingerbread man, because she immediately grabbed the book out of my hands as a cold scowl crossed her face and, pointing to the page, she said quite forcefully, "I don't like that part!"

[Grace Abwooli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an old time classic children’s story. The book tells the story of a gingerbread man made by an old woman for a little old man, in the comfort of her kitchen. Little did she know that once baked, the gingerbread man would come to life, jump out the tin and run out the window. The gingerbread man ends up being chased by the old woman, the old man, a pig, a cow and a horse - all with the desire to eat him. The gingerbread man comes across a river and meets a fox that offers to help the gingerbread man across the river. However just before they reach the other side, the fox tricks and gingerbread man. The fox tosses the gingerbread man up in the air and into his mouth and sadly, that’s the end of the ginger bread man.

Throughout the story, the line ‘RUN, RUN, as fast as you can, you can’t catch me - I’m the gingerbread man’ is repeated. This genuinely catches children attention, captures their imagination and gets them involved in the telling of the story.

The Gingerbread Man is great for KS1 children, it can be used in Literacy lessons or simply read to the class at the end of a school say. Moreover, the book is also a useful tool for teaching children how to guess or make predictions about what they think will follow.

[Lexi Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book a rating of 4 because it was one of my favorite books growing up. I think this is a great story to read to children and a story they will like. This story is a silly story, but it is one that students can have a lot of fun with. It can teach students that you have to be careful who you trust in life.

This book is about a little old lady and a little old man who live in the woods. The little old lady made a gingerbread man for her husband. After it was ready she let him cool on the table, once she was out of site the gingerbread man ran. He ran down the street from the little old lady and the little old man, soon he was faced with a brown cow, he ran from him too. More animals helped chase him until he came to a river he couldn't cross. There was a fox who told him to hop on his tail and he would take him across, the fox told him he doesn't like ginger so he won't eat him. He hops on and they go across, but he starts getting wet. The fox told him to jump on his back, then his face, and then the fox ate him.

[Leticia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect read-aloud. The longest book I got Violet to sit through without getting bored just because it is so easy to make up different voices for the characters. And I'm like a broken record, obsessed with vintage children's book illustrations, so I appreciated the Richard Scarry artwork while Violet enjoyed the story.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely, funny and enjoyable story suitable for children.

[ChristineK · Rating 5 out of 5]

This classic story benefits from wonderful illustrations by Richard Scarry. My 7 year old granddaughter knows several versions of the story, yet she was kept in suspense until the end when she read this to me. Along the way we were both captivated by the pictures. The ending, just desserts. Why else would we bake gingerbread men?

[Karim Elmenshawy · Rating 1 out of 5]

run run as fast as you can you can't catch me i'm the gingerbread man

[Paul Alsted]

HEHEHE can't catch me! A gingerbread cookie escapes and must evade predators that are trying to eat him.

[Shaharyar Saeed · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gingerbread Man by Nancy Nolte was a WOW book for me because even though it’s a classic folktale, it still felt fresh and exciting. The story follows a gingerbread man who comes to life and runs away from the people and animals who try to catch him, only to be tricked in the end. The three main themes that stood out to me were cleverness, consequences, and trust. The gingerbread man thinks he can outsmart everyone, but his overconfidence leads to his downfall. It’s a fun way to show that actions have consequences, and that sometimes, trusting the wrong person can get you into trouble. These are timeless messages that are still important for children to understand today.

This story is clearly a folktale because it includes repetition, talking animals, and a moral lesson, all passed down through storytelling. One literary device that stands out is repetition, especially in the gingerbread man’s chant. It creates rhythm, builds suspense, and helps kids engage with the story as they anticipate what comes next. Another is irony the twist at the end with the fox is unexpected and clever, showing how the fastest runner can still be outsmarted. I also appreciated the personification of the gingerbread man, giving life and voice to a cookie, which adds a layer of fun and imagination. As a reader, I was reminded how folktales use simple stories to teach deep lessons. If I were reading this with children, I’d use it to talk about decision-making, patterns in stories, and what it means to be wise rather than just fast. This book made me say WOW because it takes a playful, familiar tale and turns it into a fun way to explore important life lessons in just a few pages.

[Shinjini · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a story about baked goods, what's not to love?

I went back to this story after ages and it was a nice trip down memory lane for me. I used to really like the concept of an inanimate object coming to life and rooted for the Gingerbread Man to win the day. Still a hit with the kids but it feels a little juvenile as I read it as an adult. A nice story overall. Rating this here as the kid who found this story as a new reader.

As an adult, it would be a 3 star read for me.

[Kirsty Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic traditional tale which children still enjoy reading or listening too. Great for year one age group. I really like the repetitive language through out the book as this helps the children really get to know and remember the story. It has lots of different characters to explore with the children and is easily comparable with other stories such as Jabuti or Little Red Riding Hood when looking at the bad guys in the story.

[MaryAlice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Goodreads suggested I read The Gingerbread Man (because I liked The Princess and the Pea,) so I read an online version. I most likely read The Gingerbread Man as a child ~ Little Golden Book variety. Have no idea who wrote it all those years ago.

The Princess and the Pea made a lasting impression on me, unlike The Gingerbread Man.

[Kate]

The Gingerbread Man is a story that has been told for years and has so many different versions to it. I love to use it around the holidays. There are so many fun activities you can do with it, especially with younger age children. I love the illustrations in the book. There reminds me an cartoon but with a real-life twist to it.

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed revisiting The Gingerbread Man! It taught me at a young age how one can get oneself in trouble when one leaps before thinking about what might be ahead. The Gingerbread Man! taught me the importance of looking before leaping. Elfreida’s pictures will help non-readers follow the story.

[Sarah Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is retold, adding humor to the classroom as it is read aloud. Young children will love and enjoy this read aloud. There is great dialogue to really bring to life an expressive reading time.

[Vindersloon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deze klassieker kwam ik tegen in een gratis boekenkastje. Dat Annie M.G. veel gouden boekjes vertaald had wist ik, maar dat de tekeningen van Richard Scarry waren wist ik niet.

Naast de prima clou vind ik de extra dieren het leukst.

[Libby Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic! I love the true to the original ending of the tale with the Fox eating the gingerbread man. The illustrations are wonderful!

A great one to show kids those sly Fox archetypes.

Recommended for 2-6

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this vintage gem in a little antique bookstore in Poland. I was practically obsessed with Richard Scarry when I was a kid, and I adore gingerbread, so it seemed like a must-buy! The poor fox always gets the blame.

[Manethraen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviews with Spencer

Spencer loved this one, it had CHOCLATE CAKE!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very nice telling of an old story it was very cute and I love it all.

[Kaitlyn Kluesner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cute story! I really enjoyed reading it. This is such a classic folktale that many young students would enjoy.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I read the one beautifully illustrated by Anne Leaf.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read this to my children it brought back fond memories of reading with my grandmother.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Richard Scarry's drawings. I didn't remember the ending. Maybe I blocked it out or maybe I read a different version of this story when I was a boy. The smoking frog, though!

[Darryn Diuguid · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful cummulative tale that keeps everyone entertained, and this book included the characters, repetition, and sly character that is loved by all.

[Random Scholar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young readers will love this engaging story about a gingerbread man who tried to escape everyone.

[Neeraja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely!

[Habiba Rdait · Rating 4 out of 5]

Done ✔️

[Alyssa Gray]

My favorite part was when he got eaten by the fox because the fox outsmarts him.