Hansel and Gretel

Good for bigger kids. Long text and large illustrations.

I was looking for this fairy tale story for my children ages 7 and 4. I wanted the story to be told just like I remembered as a child. This book exceeded my expectations....beautiful illustrations and a great story. I highly recommend it!

This is a nice rendition of Hansel & Gretel, much as the one I recall from my childhood. One of the only more obvious differences I noted was that it was not the "step-mother" who encouraged the father to abondon the children in the forest, but instead, the "mother," perhaps reflective of our more sensitive times. Zelinsky's illustrations, as indicated by the Caldecott Medal, enhanced the story greatly. All-in-all, a cute, nostalgic Grimm's Fairy Tale...though I see no mention of the Borthers Grimm in this book.

When my kids were 5 & 6 years old, I discovered this book at the local library. It caught my eye because it was a (1985) Caldecott Medal Honor Book, and was displayed w/lots of other Caldecott Medal winners. We usually read 30-60 minutes before bedtime and this book was a family favorite; we checked it out from the library again and again. The illustrations are vivid and memorable. Of course, it helped to read the book with a creepy/scary voice for the witch's character. The kids enjoyed the illustrations tremendously, often looking at the pictures on their own. Recently, I bought a copy of this book and gave it to my son, a recent new father. What a big hit! He remembered this book well, even though it's been 18 years since we read it!

As a 5 and 6 year old, I recall reading this stark version of the fairy-tale. The illustrations here are simply beautiful! I remember talking to my mom about the issues in this tale -- famine and starvation, abandonment, cannibalism, supporting, being supported by your sibling, and returning/reunited to your family after being through everything.My mom helped me understand the mom's behaviour in this story, and I hope I can do that for my son some day. Like all fairy tales, this simply looks at some of the worst that could happen, and lets you see a way out. I read it without these gorgeous illustrations too. You can't disney all of life, though I admit, I'm a sentimental soft-hearted person who cries when the cats get rained on when I'm watching the Aristocats :-) Enjoy, and think too ...

Despite the ridiculous, overly sensitive reviews above, claiming that Hansel and Gretel is too violent for children, I think that such stories are of great value to children. The world is filled with violence, whether it stems from humans or other natural forces. Children should be aware of such danger not only so they might defend themselves but also because we have an obligation to truthfully depict reality for them. It is unwise to euphemize their early years and then expect them to be able to adapt to the disappointments and painful situations of later life. Besides, if someone were going to eat you, you'd put her in an oven too and make sure that she was good and dead, so that she would not eat anybody else. Three cheers for Gretel!