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Hansel and Gretel
A poor woodcutter's two children, lost in the woods, come upon a gingerbread house inhabited by a wicked witch.
48 pages, paperback
First published January 1, 1988
16 people want to read
About the author
Ruth Belov Gross
40 books4 followersBorn in Philadelphia and raised in Florida, Ruth Belov Gross has lived in New York City ever since graduating from the University of Miami in 1950. Although her first job out of college was as an editorial assistant for a children's publishing house, Gross never planned to write for children herself. Instead she went on to a successful career as a medical writer, where she became adept at thorough and meticulous research and translating complex medical information into nontechnical language.
Such skills served her well when she wrote her first children's book, What Do Animals Eat?, in 1970, and though she initially assumed she would return to medical writing, she never did. “I was finally doing what I had always wanted to do — without knowing that it was what I had always wanted to do.”
Since then, Gross has written numerous books for children, specializing in nonfiction and re-tellings of traditional tales. She welcomes questions and comments from children, and often uses their input to make her work more thorough. When they are not working, Gross and her husband enjoy cooking, gardening, and vacationing in Vermont, where they have a tiny A-frame house in the woods.
Such skills served her well when she wrote her first children's book, What Do Animals Eat?, in 1970, and though she initially assumed she would return to medical writing, she never did. “I was finally doing what I had always wanted to do — without knowing that it was what I had always wanted to do.”
Since then, Gross has written numerous books for children, specializing in nonfiction and re-tellings of traditional tales. She welcomes questions and comments from children, and often uses their input to make her work more thorough. When they are not working, Gross and her husband enjoy cooking, gardening, and vacationing in Vermont, where they have a tiny A-frame house in the woods.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 4, 2023
European folk tales are weirdly unnerving and often frightening. Hansel and Gretel is no exception. Along with “The Brave Tin Soldier” by Hans Christian Andersen, (LINK HERE for my review) this story was the one which frightened me most as a child. Hansel and Gretel was collected by the Brothers Grimm and first published in 1812, but has been retold countless times since then.
This edition is an American one by Scholastic, retold by Ruth Belov Gross, who has authored other similar tales. The illustrations are by Winslow Pinney Pels; delicate, atmospheric pictures in watercolours, using a muted palette, and largely produced with a diffuser. They are very attractive, the print is bold, and certain phrases are repeated, as common in folk tales. It is a smallish square hardback book, a little larger than a paperback, and was first published in 1988. This would be a great book for my little cousin, who will soon be 8 years old, I thought. I decided to read it first though, to make sure that the dark and terrifying spell that held me in thrall all those years ago, had been broken.
The story begins in a little house in the woods, a long time ago in Germany. Two children, Hansel and Gretel live there with their father who is a poor woodcutter, and their stepmother. But the family do not have enough food to eat, and the children hear their stepmother planning to take them into the woods to leave them there, so that she and her husband do not starve to death.
Late that night, Hansel sneaks out of the house and collects as many white pebbles as he can. The next day, the family walk deep into the woods and Hansel secretly lays a trail of white pebbles. Sure enough, their parents leave them alone, promising to come back when they have collected firewood, but they do not return. The children eat the slice of bread they have been left, and wait for the moon to come out and shine, so that they can see the pebbles. Then they follow the trail of pebbles back home. But their stepmother is furious to see them back.
Once again, when the food is scarce their stepmother angrily tells her husband that they must take the children further into the woods and leave them there. Hansel and Gretel wanted to collect more pebbles again, but find that the front door has been locked.
The following morning, the family treks into the woods. This time Hansel leaves a trail of bread crumbs for them to follow back home. Now he has no food, but Gretel shares her slice of bread with him. Their stepmother and father pretend that they are going to collect firewood again, but it is the same as before, and the children realise that they have been abandoned again. This time though, they find that the birds have eaten the crumbs, and they are now lost in the woods.
After several days of wandering, they see a little house:
“The walls were made of gingerbread.
The roof was made of cake.
The windows were made of sugar candy as clear as glass.”
It is a terrifying story; quite gruesome and bizarre. The folklorists Iona and Peter Opie have catalogued quite a few stories from the Baltic region about children who fall prey to ogres, but outwit them. Nevertheless I think this is perhaps the most disturbing and horrifying, with tropes such as an evil stepmother and a witch (who surely represents the same fear), the crossing of water to a better world, and the childhood fears of rejection and abandonment, loss of love, horrific death; all to be resolved by a huge stroke of luck, providing untold wealth resulting in the requisite happy ending.
Am I going to give this to my cousin? No. It makes me shudder, and the sooner it is out of my house the better. But if you enjoy this traditional story, then this edition is a good one to look for.
This edition is an American one by Scholastic, retold by Ruth Belov Gross, who has authored other similar tales. The illustrations are by Winslow Pinney Pels; delicate, atmospheric pictures in watercolours, using a muted palette, and largely produced with a diffuser. They are very attractive, the print is bold, and certain phrases are repeated, as common in folk tales. It is a smallish square hardback book, a little larger than a paperback, and was first published in 1988. This would be a great book for my little cousin, who will soon be 8 years old, I thought. I decided to read it first though, to make sure that the dark and terrifying spell that held me in thrall all those years ago, had been broken.
The story begins in a little house in the woods, a long time ago in Germany. Two children, Hansel and Gretel live there with their father who is a poor woodcutter, and their stepmother. But the family do not have enough food to eat, and the children hear their stepmother planning to take them into the woods to leave them there, so that she and her husband do not starve to death.
Late that night, Hansel sneaks out of the house and collects as many white pebbles as he can. The next day, the family walk deep into the woods and Hansel secretly lays a trail of white pebbles. Sure enough, their parents leave them alone, promising to come back when they have collected firewood, but they do not return. The children eat the slice of bread they have been left, and wait for the moon to come out and shine, so that they can see the pebbles. Then they follow the trail of pebbles back home. But their stepmother is furious to see them back.
Once again, when the food is scarce their stepmother angrily tells her husband that they must take the children further into the woods and leave them there. Hansel and Gretel wanted to collect more pebbles again, but find that the front door has been locked.
The following morning, the family treks into the woods. This time Hansel leaves a trail of bread crumbs for them to follow back home. Now he has no food, but Gretel shares her slice of bread with him. Their stepmother and father pretend that they are going to collect firewood again, but it is the same as before, and the children realise that they have been abandoned again. This time though, they find that the birds have eaten the crumbs, and they are now lost in the woods.
After several days of wandering, they see a little house:
“The walls were made of gingerbread.
The roof was made of cake.
The windows were made of sugar candy as clear as glass.”
It is a terrifying story; quite gruesome and bizarre. The folklorists Iona and Peter Opie have catalogued quite a few stories from the Baltic region about children who fall prey to ogres, but outwit them. Nevertheless I think this is perhaps the most disturbing and horrifying, with tropes such as an evil stepmother and a witch (who surely represents the same fear), the crossing of water to a better world, and the childhood fears of rejection and abandonment, loss of love, horrific death; all to be resolved by a huge stroke of luck, providing untold wealth resulting in the requisite happy ending.
Am I going to give this to my cousin? No. It makes me shudder, and the sooner it is out of my house the better. But if you enjoy this traditional story, then this edition is a good one to look for.
June 12, 2019
The Winslow Pinney Pels illustrated version of Ruth Belov Gross's retelling of Hansel and Gretel is by far my favorite picture book version. Very hard to find...
I found a copy! 06/2019
I found a copy! 06/2019
March 7, 2022
Genre: Traditional Literature
Grade Level: 3rd-5th
While this is a traditional tale, it is one that always creeps me out. The face that a wife would encourage her husband to leave her children to die, then them getting snatched up by a child-eating witch is horrendous. However, this is a good book to explore the history of tales such as these, especially because this is a well-known tale.
Grade Level: 3rd-5th
While this is a traditional tale, it is one that always creeps me out. The face that a wife would encourage her husband to leave her children to die, then them getting snatched up by a child-eating witch is horrendous. However, this is a good book to explore the history of tales such as these, especially because this is a well-known tale.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2017
A cute story. Funny that is on a list for banned books.
"But, in 1992, it was challenged again, this time by two self-proclaimed witches who said the tale gives witches a bad name."
"But, in 1992, it was challenged again, this time by two self-proclaimed witches who said the tale gives witches a bad name."
April 6, 2022
We read this book for Lithuania 🇱🇹 today
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July 17, 2016This is the traditional story of Hansel and Gretel. Hansel and Gretel were the children of the woodcutter. Their step mom suggested to leave them in the woods to die. They come across the wicked witches cottage made of food. They are hungry and start to eat her cottage. She captures the children. She tells the children she is going to eat them. As the story goes Gretel pushes the wicked witch into the oven. They find some treasures in her house and they take it with them. They walk through the woods to find their home. They find their home and come to find out their step mother has died. Now they can live happy ever after.
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August 19, 2016Hansel and Gretel were left in the woods by their stepmother to die. They walk around and find a cottage made of food. They begin to eat the cottage and along comes the witch who lives there. The witch wants to eat them, but Gretel pushes her into the oven. They both find the treasures she has and leave. They return back home where they learn that their stepmother had died.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews