Hansel and Gretel

by Rika Lesser

Other authorsJacob Grimm (Author), Wilhelm Grimm (Author), Paul O. Zelinsky (Illustrator)
Paperback, 1984

Status

Check shelf

Call number

E L

Publication

Scholastic, Inc. (1984), 40 pages

Description

A poor woodcutter's children, lost in the forest, come upon a house made of bread, cakes, and candy, occupied by a wicked witch who likes to have children for dinner.

Local notes

0000-1774-8252

User reviews

LibraryThing member michellehef
In this story of Hansel and Gretel the family is running low on money and the mother tells the dad that he should take the two kids out in the woods. Then he is to leave them with a fire. The dad does this but Hansel has a pocket full of rocks that he drops on the path as they go so they can find
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there way back home. When it gets dark they follow the path back home. The dad does it again this again. The second time they get lost and end up finding the witches house. The witch tries to eat the boy.

I like rereading this story because it is one of the fairy tale stories that I can remember from when I was little. I like how it shows kids that not everyone they meet will be good some people are bad and can look good.

This is a good book to use in the class room to show kids that there are people out there that are bad and they do not need to trust strangers. You could also use this book in the classroom to have the kids tell what they would do to find there way back home if they have got lost in the woods.
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LibraryThing member lorinhigashi
This version captures the grave and sad story of Hansel and Gretel who are abandoned by their parents in the woods to die. Hansel is the protector and looks after his sister while they try to find their way home. Although Gretel proves to be just as strong and smart as her brother later in the
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story. When they find the candy-made home, the owner is an old woman, not a witch in other versions. The old woman captures the children and wants to kill them so she can eat them. Although she is not a witch in the original version that this story is based on, she still proves to be evil. The variations of her character are sure to have been based on the cruel intentions she shows. The illustrations are appear to be paintings, capturing the emotional journey of Hansel and Gretel.
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LibraryThing member KellyBryan
The story of Hansel and Gretel was always scary to me as a child for obvious reasons. It is a cleverly written story and I like how Rika Lesser changed it up a little bit. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and accompany the text well. For a child it is hard to think about issues of
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abandonment, starvation, and cannibalism. These issues can spark conversation between you and your young one and it is a good way to keep the conversation flowing.

This book can be used in class when learning about classic fairy tales. Every child should be exposed to the classics as they are listed as classics for a reason.
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LibraryThing member linnaea44
This was a great retelling of the classic Hansel and Gretel. The illustrations were beautifully done, great detail and color. I enjoyed the description of the witch and the fathers love for the children. It still shocks me that the parents would lead their children to the middle of the forest, and
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left to die. I loved that the children finally escape the witch, steal the jewels, and go back to their widowed father and end up saving the day. Wonderful story and great pictures for all ages.
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LibraryThing member susanmartling
A well researched and beautifully illustrated retelling of an old familiar tale. This might be a good book to read aloud after generating a list of what students know about the story. After listening, the students could list new or different things they heard in this retelling. One could also
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illustrate topic development by starting with the bare bones of the story and noting how the author retold it with detail. There is a Storyteller's Note at the end.
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LibraryThing member chelsiking
The illustrations in this book bring to life the classic tale of Hansel & Gretal. Rika Lesser does an amazing job painting pictures in the readers head about the characters just as well as the illustrations do. A very beautifully re-telling of this classic tale!
LibraryThing member devasun
when you get to the part where hansel and gretel start eating the candy house.
LibraryThing member katie.harrel
Genre: folktale

This is a good folktale because it is a common story told in a variety of ways. This version is a good one to read to children because even though it follows the basic storyline, it is told in a way that won't scare children because they can understand that it is just a story.

Age
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Appropriate: primary and intermediate
Rubric: 26
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LibraryThing member justine.marxer
Genre: Fairytale

Age app: primary

Review: This is a good example of a fairytale because there is no author and the story entails the characters going through challenges. Hansel and Gretel happen upon a house in the woods made of bread and sweets.
LibraryThing member ericha.anderson
Traditional Literature Folktale
Excellent retell of a classic tale. Hansel and Gretel come from a very poor family. Their mother decides to take them deep into the woods and leave them there. Her first attempt to drop them in the woods failed because the children dropped pebbles along the way
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creating a path that led them back home. The next time they were taken into the woods Hansel dropped bread crumbs along the way. The crumbs diappeared and they were lost. The children find a house made of food. A witch lived inside. She locks Hansel and Gretel in a cage and plans to eat them. Gretel manages to lock the witch in the oven. The children took the witch's treasures and returned home to their parents.

The fantastic illustrations enhance the story and bring the details to life. Both the author and illustrator create a fantastical world build the imagination of the reader.

This book could be used to teach children about the elements of fairy tales and folktales.
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LibraryThing member shomskie
One of the true classic fairy tales, Hansel and Gretel follows the journey of a pair of siblings as they attempt to return home after their selfish step-mother convinces their father he must dispose of them for the two of them to be able to continue living their lives. Hansel is able to thwart her
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first attempt by leaving a trail of pebbles to follow home, but the next day he tries to repeat this method using bread crumbs which are quickly eaten by the birds. The children must escape a mysterious candy house and the wicked witch who inhabits it before they are reunited with their father.
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LibraryThing member ChelseaRose
As the classic tale goes, Hansel and Gretal's parents are poor, and their mother decides it is better to abandon their children in the woods then allow them to starve. The children find their way back to their house, but their parents take them into the woods again and this time they can't find
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their way back. They find themselves at the candy covered witches house, and Hansel is placed in a cage to fatten up to eat. Gretal helps the witch, but ends up outsmarting her, pushing her in the oven and they escape and return to their home. Their mother has died and their father is happy that they have returned.
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LibraryThing member lnaeole
It's an easy read for an older child. I enjoyed yet another twist on one of the Brothers' Grimms stories.
LibraryThing member JSpencer
Hansel and Gretel’s parents are poor and they need to do something before they starve. The mother decided they need to get rid of the children. So Hansel and Gretel were brought to the woods by their parents and abandoned there. Hansel had left a trail so that they could get back home, but their
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parents brought them deeper into the woods the next time and Hansel only had bread crumbs to leave as a trail. Of course, his trail was eaten and they were lost. The come across a house made of sweets. The owner is a mean witch who tries to eat Hansel. Gretel pushes her into an oven and saves her brother. They steal her jewels and return home to their father, where they learn their mean mother died.

This is the first time I’ve read the whole story and I’m a little surprised it’s considered a child’s story. The mother seems to be a little crazy because she so badly wants to leave her children in the woods to die and gets mad when they return. Then, they are almost eaten by a witch. She’s killed by being shoved into a stove and then they steal from her. I think the story would be a little frightening to young children.

In the classroom, I would have the students paired in groups and have them construct their own house made of sweets (such as icing, peppermints, i.e. a gingerbread house). Then we would display the houses around the classroom for a while so everyone could see their work. Also, we could talk about what to do in case you get lost. Of course, most of the students wouldn’t be lost in the woods but you could bring it to relate to them by talking about if they got lost in the mall or something. You could talk about where they should go and the importance of memorizing their home address, phone number and parents’ names.
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LibraryThing member Mrs.JLewis
Hansel and Gretel is a story of a poor wood cutter that can’t provide for his wife and two children, Hansel and Gretel. His wife in frustration sets up a plan to get rid of the two children deep into the forest and leave them there. The kids overhear the plan and Hansel gets prepared for it by
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finding rocks that glisten at night to leave for a trail to allow them to get back home. The family sets out and the mother’s plan works until she finds them next morning back at the house because the children were able to follow the glistening rocks back home. She got mad and does the plan back over again, but the next time locks the front doors so that Hansel can’t get out too get any rocks. They traveled out the next morning without any rocks but Hansel decides to drop the bread crumbs that his mother gave him thinking that would be their trail. When the moon came up the children tried to find their way back, but they realize the birds ate the bread crumbs. As they got lost deep into the forest they came across a ginger bread house that was loaded with all kinds of yummy goodies, but an old lady came out. She was a witch that kept them there to torture. Her plan was to eat Hansel, but this time Gretel outsmarted the old lady and pushed her into the oven. She burned up to ashes. Before the kids made their journey back home they took all of the jewels and riches and went back to find their house. They found it and found out that their mother passed away, but their dad was there and they were able to give him all the riches they got.

I did not particularly care for this story for my young children. I feel it gives them the idea that if bad things are going on in their family, such as finances, they will feel like they will be given away. I feel like this will give them insecurities and make them wonder if my husband and I would ever do this to them and then let someone take care of them that is even worse than what is at home. I think the positive side that can be taught from this book is that if there are struggles at home for the kid to think they that can try to help even if it is a little and that it will be looked upon gratefully.

A positive way to implement this book into a lesson plan is to make a chart of important number in case of an emergency. Give the students construction paper and let them draw picture of important numbers for example the police and write out 911. Have them draw a picture of their caretaker (whether it be mom, dad, or grandparents, etc.) and have them put a space for their caretaker to help them put their telephone number on it. Place magnets on the back of the construction paper for the children to take home and hang on their refrigerator. Let the students know if there is an emergency they can call these numbers.
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LibraryThing member gena93
This story is about a family who lived in the forest. Hansel was the son adn Gretel was the daughter. They barely had enough to eat so one evening the mother told the father to take the children into the woods and leave them there. But being smart Hensel took little pebbles and made a trail back to
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there home. Then the same situation happens again but Hensel leaves a trail of bread crumbs and couldn't find their way back home. They came to a candy covered cottage where a witch lived and she tries to eat Hensel but Gretel pushes her into the fire.

I thought it was an evil step mother, but it was their real mother who wanted to get rid of them. Man that bites. Its another classic that I enjoy reading to my children. And the candy covered cottage makes me hungry every time.

In my classroom we could read the story but our main focus will be on the candy covered cottage. We then could make a cottage out of graham crackers, frosting, and different types of candy.
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LibraryThing member HollyRogers
Hansel and Gretel is about brother and sister that is sent out into the woods to survive on there on. After being held captive by a cannibalistic witch they find a way to kill her and escape back home to their father.

This book although a traditional book by the Brothers Grimm I personally do not
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like this book and find it very disturbing.

If I were to use this book in my classroom I would use it in the study of the Brothers Grimm writings or as a lesson about how some books may disturb us but we must remember that it is just a book and to look for the positive aspects of the book like the illustrations.
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LibraryThing member elmartin
After being left in the woods by their parents, Hansel and Gretel stumble upon a candy house in the woods. The old lady - that is actually a witch - lures them in with promises of food and shelter. Little do they know that she is a witch that eats children! After caging Hansel with the intention to
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cook and eat him, she uses Gretel as a slave. Although Hansel refuses to eat, the witch plans to cook him in the oven. In the end, the children outsmart her by coaxing her into the fire.
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LibraryThing member marifab64
The story is kind of harsh and the pictures are dark and shady. I think my little girl liked the story but was kind of scary to her. The art was beautiful and very detailed.
LibraryThing member Lourraine
This traditional tale was very dark and sad. The illustrations were beautiful I think if they wanted to make it more gloomy they could of but it was great all in all. I never really read this version of Hansel and Gretel where there parents just left them in the woods. I always thought they
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wandered off and were trouble makers. In the end the story was a happy ending. Well I guess kind of because the mother died but she was the one who put them in that danger.
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LibraryThing member meallen1
This story is a fairy tale. It is the classic story of Hansel and Gretel. It is about Hansel and Gretel going into a gingerbread house that an evil witch owns. The reading level is first grade. The curricular connection is it is a fairy tale.
LibraryThing member jessica_cassell18
Hansel and Gretel is about a brother and sister who come from a family that is very poor. They are so poor that the mother wants to take the children into the woods and leave them there. The kids are taken into the woods twice, the first time Hansel leaves a trail of glowing rocks along the way
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which allows the kids to find their way home, but the second time, Hansel leaves bread crumbs along the ground and they disappear and the children get lost in the woods. The kids come upon a house made of food, but the owner is a witch. The witch locks Hansel in a cage and wants to eat him, but Gretel manages to lock the witch in the oven and free her brother and the kids return home to their father with pockets full of treasure.

Personally, I find it a little funny that this is a children's book considering the mother wants to leave her kids in the woods to die. I sort of remembered Hansel and Gretel, or so I thought, until I read this story. It simply amazes me that the mother wanted to leave her kids to die.

A classroom extension I would use would be for the kids to tell of ways they would use to find their way out of the woods or someplace if they were to get lost. I would also use this to tell of the importance of family. Also, I would use it as a way to teach about strangers.
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LibraryThing member jess_shalee
Hansel and Gretel is about brothers and sisters, Hansel and Gretel, who venture out into the forest while leaving a trail of crumbs behind them which gets eaten and they become lost and captured by an old mean woman but they get away and make it home okay in the end.
LibraryThing member loganbuttram330
I chose this book because it is one of the many stories that I enjoyed reading as a kid. This story has been kind of controversial with many parents because some of them do not like the way that the book depicts violence. I feel that this book could bother some kids that take it too seriously. The
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main positive thing to take away from this book is that it gets the children's minds going and is a suspenseful story. I feel like there should not be any problem with children reading this book as long as the parents explain it to them the right way.
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LibraryThing member dcaitlyn
This book is beautifully illustrated, capturing the puritan aesthetic of an old dutch tale. Perhaps it could have a place in a classroom in introducing children to artistic concepts.

Awards

Caldecott Medal (Honor Book — 1985)
Nebraska Golden Sower Award (Nominee — 1987)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades K-3 — 1986)

Language

Physical description

40 p.

ISBN

0439077664 / 9780439077668

Barcode

1456
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