Hansel & Gretel by Bethan Woollvin. PICTURE BOOK. Peachtree, 2018. $17. 9781682630730
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
In this retelling of an old fairy tale, the author has made the siblings Hansel and Gretel into unlikable entitled children and the witch into a good witch. The siblings won’t pick up the mess they made in the forest, they eat the witch's house, finish the meal she prepares without waiting for her, and make a mess of the house. Finally, the witch has enough and turns them into gingerbread cookies.
I thought this was a clever twist on a classic story, one that kids can connect with. I found it a little disturbing when the kids put the witch in the oven after making a mess of her house, but it fits the tone of the original fairy tale. The illustrations are all done in orange, white, and black, which I thought was cool but it left my kids less than satisfied. It is not exactly a holiday book, but I think it would find the best reception around the Halloween season.
Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
No comments:
Post a Comment