An English Folk Taleretold by Joy Cowley

Illustrated by In-gahng Jeon

TH

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An English Folk Tale retold by Joy CowleyIllustrated by In-gahng Jeon

Original Korean text by Ki-gyeong Kim

Illustrations by In-gahng Jeon

Korean edition © Yeowon Media Co., Ltd.

This English edition published by Big & Small in 2014

by arrangement with Yeowon Media Co., Ltd.

English text edited by Joy Cowley

English edition © Big & Small 2014

All rights reserved

ISBN: 978-1-921790-54-6

Printed in Korea

Once upon a time, a little old woman and a little old man lived in a little old house. They had no children.

One day, the little old woman said to the little old man, “Let’s make a gingerbread man.”

“What a good idea!” he said.

So his wife went to the kitchen.

4 5

She rolled out the dough with a rolling pin.

She made arms and legs. She made a head. She made eyes, nose and mouth. Then she put the gingerbread man in the hot oven.

6 7

“Let me out! Let me out!” called a voice from inside the oven.

When the little old woman opened the oven door, the gingerbread man jumped out. He said to the little old woman, “Run, run as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”

8 9

“Come back!” cried the little old woman.

“Come back

!” cried

the little

old man.

But the gingerbread man ran away, laughing.

10 11

The gingerbread man met a cow. “Stop!” said the cow. “I want to eat you!”

The gingerbread man did not stop. He said, “I ran away from the little old woman, I ran away from the little old man, I will run away from you, too.”

12 13

The cow ran after the gingerbread man but he was too fast. He sang as he ran. “Run, run as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”

14 15

The gingerbread man met a horse. “Stop!” said the horse. “I want to eat you!”

The gingerbread man did not stop. “I ran away from the little old woman, I ran away from the little old man, I ran away from the cow, I will run away from you, too.”

16 17

“Run, run as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”

18 19

The gingerbread man ran and ran until he met a sly fox. The fox licked his lips. “Stop!” he called.

20 21

But the gingerbread man ran faster. “I ran away from the old woman, I ran away from the old man, I ran away from the cow and the horse, I will run away from you, too.” “R

un, r

un a

s fas

t as y

ou ca

n! You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”

22 23

“I don’t want to eat you,” said the sly fox. “I want to be your friend.”

The gingerbread man ran faster. The fox also ran faster.

At last they came to a river and the gingerbread man had to stop. “I can’t swim!” he said to the fox.

The fox smiled. “I can swim. Hop on my strong bushy tail and I will take you across the river.”

24 25

So the gingerbread man got on the fox’s tail.

“My tail is tired,” said the fox. “Hop on my back!”

Then the fox said, “My back is tired. Hop on my nose.”

When they had crossed the river, the fox tossed the gingerbread man into the air.

26 27

Up!

Up!

Up!he went!

Then down, down, down, into the fox’s mouth.

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The old woman went home. The old man went home. The cow and the horse went home.

But the fat sly fox went to sleep, his stomach full of gingerbread.

30 31