Summary
Highlights
An old couple, living peacefully but without a child, decides to bake a gingerbread man. The old lady carefully decorates him, but just as she adds his mouth, he comes to life and begins to speak.
The gingerbread man, to the bewilderment of the old couple, jumps from the kitchen and runs into the garden, boasting that no one can catch him. The old lady, and then her husband, unsuccessfully try to catch him.
As the gingerbread man runs, he encounters a cow, a pig, and a chicken, all of whom desire to eat him. He outruns each of them, adding them to the growing chase behind him, and continues to boast about his speed.
Reaching a river, the gingerbread man, fearing he would melt, is approached by a shifty fox who offers to carry him across. The fox cunningly persuades the gingerbread man to move from his tail to his back, then to his head, and finally on his nose as the water gets deeper.
Just as the fox prepares to eat the gingerbread man by tipping him into his mouth, a crow snatches the gingerbread man in mid-air. When the crow opens its beak to answer if it eats ginger cookies, the gingerbread man falls out and continues to run, adding the fox and crow to his list of pursuers.
The gingerbread man continues to run, reaffirming that no one can catch him. The story concludes with a warning not to try and catch a running gingerbread man, as he is simply uncatchable.