THE GINGERBREAD BOY

The Gingerbread Boy

(From Repetitive Stories: A collection for young and old, Hella Coenen, 1997)

There was once a woman who hadn’t any children of her own and wanted one very much. One day she said to her husband, “I shall bake myself a nice gingerbread boy. That’s what I shall do.”

Her husband laughed at the idea but that very morning she mixed the dough and rolled it. Then she cut out a little boy shape with a smiling mouth and two currants for eyes. When she popped him in the oven she waited for him to bake and then she opened the door. Out jumped the gingerbread boy and he ran away through the kitchen and right outside.

“Husband, husband,” called the woman as she ran after the gingerbread boy.

The man dropped his spade when he heard his wife call and came running from the field. But when the gingerbread boy saw the woman and the man chasing him, he only laughed, running faster and faster and shouting:

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

On he ran until he met a cow. “Moo! Moo!” called the cow. “Stop! Stop! I want to eat you.”

But the gingerbread boy only laughed and ran faster than ever, shouting. “I’ve run away from a woman and a man and now I’ll run away from you!”

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

The cow chased after him but she was too fat and couldn’t catch him. He raced on until he came to a horse. “Neigh! Neigh!” snorted the horse. “You look good to eat. Stop and let me gobble you up.”

But the gingerbread boy only laughed and ran faster than ever, shouting. “I’ve run away from a woman, a man, and a cow and now I’ll run away from you!”

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

The horse galloped after the Gingerbread boy but couldn’t catch him. He raced on faster and faster until he came to some farmers in a field. “Ho! Ho!” they cried. “Stop! Stop! And let us have a bite!”

But the gingerbread boy only laughed and ran faster than ever, shouting. “I’ve run away from a woman, a man, a cow and a horse, and now I’ll run away from you!”

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

The men joined in the chase but no one could catch the gingerbread boy. He raced ahead until he came to a river and had to stop. There he met a fox who wanted very much to eat him then and there, but he was afraid the clever gingerbread boy might escape. So he said politely, “Do you want to cross the river?”

“Yes please,” said the gingerbread boy.

“Well then, jump on my back and I’ll swim across.”

“Thank you,” said the gingerbread boy and he did that.

When they were about halfway across, the fox said, “The water is deeper here. I think you’d better crawl up onto my neck.”

“Thank you,” said the gingerbread boy and he did that. When they had gone three-quarters of the way across, the fox said, “You’d better climb up onto my head. You can’t be very comfortable there.”

“Thank you,” said the gingerbread boy and he did just that. “We’re nearly there now,” said the fox a moment later. “I think you’d be safer if you get onto my nice long nose.”

“Thank you,” said the gingerbread boy. No sooner had he climbed onto the fox’s nose then the fox threw back his head and SNAP! Went his big mouth. The gingerbread boy was half gone.

SNAP! The gingerbread boy was three quarters gone.

SNAP! The gingerbread boy was all gone.

And that was the end of the gingerbread boy who had been too clever for the woman, the man, the cow, the horse and the farmers, but not clever enough for the fox.

THE HARE IN THE MOON

The Hare in the Moon

Worapun Kittisrisopit, published in ‘Star Weavings’ – issue unknown

Worapun told her children this story, which originates in India, to prepare them for the Moon festival on September 21, and the children made Chinese cookies used to worship the moon goddess.

Once upon a time in the Himalayan Mountains – the highest mountains in India – there were three hares. They had found each other and come together to pray because they wished wholeheartedly to go to heaven. One of the hares had brown fur, the second had spotted fur and the third was white as snow. The three hares loved each other and what one hare did, so did all the others. They all wished so fervently to go to heaven that they went to the top of the crystal ice mountain. There they lived in three little caves where they could be closest to heaven and not troubled by other creatures.

Every morning they got up and prayed to God, taking only the briefest time away from their prayers to find food. Most of the time their thoughts were with God and his creations.

Many years passed and at last their prayers got to heaven. God decided to reward the hares for their piety, but first he wanted the hares to prove their holiness. So God said to the moon: “Tonight you must not shine before midnight. I want you to go to the Himalayan Mountains and to visit the three religious hares who live there. Ask them for something to eat and when you have eaten with them, come back and tell me how each hare welcomed you.”

So as the sun went down, Chandra the moon went to the brown hare. The moon knocked at the door just as the hare was preparing his evening meal. When the brown hare saw Chandra standing outside he asked, full of joy, to enter and share the meal with him. After Chandra finished the meal he thanked the brown hare and went on to visit the spotted hare in his cave. The spotted hare heard someone coming, opened the door and said, full of joy, “Be welcome!” Chandra said, “I am hungry and tired; can you give me something to each?” “With pleasure,
 said the hare, “but I was praying for so long today that I forgot my meal. Will you please wait a little while I search for something for us to eat?” After a while the meal was ready and Chandra thanked the spotted hare for the meal.

Then he went on to visit the third hare. It was a long journey and Chandra the moon felt cold and tired when finally he found the hare who was white as snow. He asked the white hare for something to eat. But the white hare had been praying all the time and had forgotten his meals entirely. He went to the kitchen and found nothing that he could prepare for his guest. So he said to Chandra, “Do you eat meat?” Chandra did not wish to trouble the hare so he said “Do not worry, I will eat anything.” So the white hare gathered some dry branches into a heap, took a big iron pot, lit a fire in the wood and, when the pot was hot, the white hare sprang into it. Chandra went immediately back to God to tell him what had happened. But when he go to heaven Chandra saw the white hare sitting in the lap of God. And God said “Chandra, take the hare with you; he shall sit in the moon. And from that day on you could see the pious hare with its long ears sitting in the full shining moon.

MY HOUSEHOLD

My Household

Brothers Grimm

Repetitive Stories

“Wither do you go?”

“To Walpe.”

“I to Walpe, You to Walpe, so, so together we’ll go.”

“Have you a man? What is his name?”

“Cham.”

“My man Cham, your man Cham, I to Walpe, you to Walpe; so, so together we’ll go.”

“Have you a child, how is he styled?”

“Wild.”

“My child Wild, your child Wild, my man Cham, your man Cham, I to Walpe, you to Walpe, so, so together we’ll go.”

“Have you a cradle? How do you call your cradle?”

“Hippodadle.”

“My cradle Hippodadle, your cradle Hippodadle, my child Wild, your child Wild, may man Cham, your man Cham, I to Walpe, you to Walpe, so so, together we’ll go.”

“Have you also a drudge? What name has your drudge?”

“From-work-do-not-budge.”

“My drudge From-work-do-not-budge, your drudge From-work-do-not-budge, my cradle Hippodadle, your cradle Hippodadle, my child Wild, your child Wild, may man Cham, your man Cham, I to Walpe, you to Walpe, so so, together we’ll go.”

THE THREE LITTLE KITTENS

The Three Little Kittens

Adapted by Kim Preston

Categories: Traditional, Repetitive, Winter, Playgroup

Once upon a time, there were four cats living in a little house. One ... two ...three ... four. The biggest was Mother Cat, and the rest were her three little kittens. Now, one cold day, Mother Cat was busy at work in her kitchen, but her three little kittens were running about in between her paws, and playing in the flour bowl, and tipping up the pots and pans, making it very hard for Mothe Cat to get any work done.

At last, she got quite cross and said:

“Go out and play, you mischievous kittens.

But the wind is cold, so put on your mittens.”

They scampered off across the grass, in and out of the bushes they rushed. They chased each other’s tails, they chased the falling leaves, Until at last they heard Mother Cat call:

“Little kittens, little kittens, wherever you roam,

Your dinner is ready, it’s time to come home.”

The three little kittens were hungry, so they happily raced each other to the kitchen door, but when they got there, they looked at their paws ... oh ... dear ....

The three little kittens, they lost their mittens, and they began to cry:

“Oh Mother dear, we sadly fear, our mittens we have lost.”

“What, lost your mitten? You naughty kittens, then you shall have no pie!”

“miaow, miaow, miaow!”

The three little kittens sadly went back out into the garden with their tails drooping low. They searched high ... and low ... everywhere a kitten could go. When at last:

The three little kittens, they found their mittens, and they began to cry:

“Oh, Mother dear, see here, see here, our mittens we have found!”

“What, found your mittens? You good little kittens,

Now you may have your pie!”

“Miaow, miaow, miaow!”

Notes on the Story: I wrote this story to tell using the simple knitted cats. I used mohair wool, and made the kittens in white, tan, and darker tan, and the mother using all three strands and added a few extra stitched to the body and head of the pattern. The mother need not be TOO much bigger than the kittens. I resisted the temptation to make mittens! – Kim Preston