Once upon a time, in a land like yours and mine, there lived a baker. Her favorite thing to bake was gingerbread cookies. She was a friendly woman, but she had secret routines and some exciting animal friends.
One early morning, as she baked her daily gingerbread, she realized there was just a bit more flour, water, molasses, ginger, salt, and spice than she had anticipated. So, she decided to make a special gingerbread man for the local boy Billie to eat.
On this day, the baker took a big lump of her smooth brown dough and shaped the gingerbread man's body, adding the silhouette of a neck and a round head on top. She drew on a couple of eyes with thick white frosting for good measure and a mouth.
Billie will surely love this gingerbread man, she thought. Before she placed her cookies in the oven, the baker added legs and arms with her extra scraps of dough.
One early morning, as she baked her daily gingerbread, she realized there was just a bit more flour, water, molasses, ginger, salt, and spice than she had anticipated. So, she decided to make a special gingerbread man for the local boy Billie to eat.