Hansel and Gretel

by Brothers Grimm Narrated by George Newbern

Overview

In Hansel and Gretel, a famine has settled over the land. The children of a poor woodcutter are abandoned in the woods by their cruel stepmother who believes she and her husband will starve as a result of providing for the children. Days of wandering lead them to a beautiful cottage made of gingerbread and candy, which the children begin to eat. Lured inside by an old woman who promises hot baths, soft beds and more delicious food, the children are captured and enslaved by what turns out to be a cannibalistic witch. The resourceful children must rely on their wits to make a daring escape.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Working from a faithful translation of the original text, Zwerger has created rosy-cheeked, appealing children who look as if they have just descended the Alps. The witch, by contrast, is a shapeless, fiery-eyed ghoul with real scare potential, but the illustrations never take advantage of that; the pictures show passive moments and have an ephemeral quality because there is almost no background for the figures on the page. For example, on one page of text, the stepmother kindles a fire and leaves Hansel and Gretel alone, the birds come and eat the trail of bread crumbs, the children walk for 24 hours without much food, sleep and walk again. Opposite is a picture of the siblings, looking melancholy but not appearing to be in dire straits. The design of the book falters: some of the artwork is horizontal and bleeds, other paintings are vertical, with wide gutters and margins; the text is set in light type without paragraph indentations and so readability suffers. Zwerger's artistic gifts are not wholly in evidenceeven simple details like Hansel's hair color, which varies, are overlooked. For once, her version of a popular story is extraneous, and Hansel and Gretel, so often done and redone, seem lost. Ages 6-up. (June)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-This version of the familiar tale of two clever children who overcome their fears and triumph over evil, while clear and readable, tends toward the lurid. For example, when Gretel pushes the witch into the oven, the text reads: "The old witch burned to death, screaming and howling miserably." Duntze's startlingly imaginative illustrations range from impressionistic to surreal, and vary in size and coloration to match the changing moods of the narrative. The cleverly wrought bread-strewn endpapers set the tone for this stylized picture book. While a few of the images are potentially frightening, most will agree that the illustrations are accomplished and very special, indeed.-Barbara Buckley, Rockville Centre Public Library, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

From the Publisher

“A classic Grimm Brothers tale gets an all-new look in this stunning retelling.” – 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, New York Public Library

“Even the most jaded reader may find his scalp prickling with dread at the sight of Sybille Schenker's illustrations in "Hansel and Gretel" (Minedition, 52 pages, $29.99).…. Ms. Schenker uses inky silhouettes and paper-cut images on translucent paper to make this most familiar of Grimm tales feel alarmingly new.” – Wall Street Journal

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175637381
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	09/23/2014
Series:	Grimm's Fairy Tales
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

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