First Readers: Hansel and Gretel

This is pretty much the classic tale that has been told or read to children for several generations. Hansel and Gretel live with their father and step-mother in the woods. The family runs out of food and the "wicked" step-mother pressures the father into doing something about it, ergo, he dumps them in the woods, not only once, but twice. Ms. Goldsack has been pretty true to the original story, which I appreciate. I realize that there has been some uncomfortable comments made of this story over the years, i.e., give step-mothers a bad name, dad dumping the kids, witches eating children, etc. etc., but this story is a part of our heritage and needs to be retold. I grew up on it and was not overly damaged and hold absolutely no ill feelings toward step-mothers. The art work in this book is nice, the story well told, and children are fascinated with it. Highly recommend this one.