Hansel and Gretel: a story by Brothers Grimm

    The story I chose to present over today is a classic, a feature in every child's life whether it be in the classroom or at home. For me personally, the daughter of an avid reader with my own personal "reading room," I was first introduced to Hansel and Gretel within the walls of my home. I chose this particular adaptation, retold by Joy Cowley and illustrated by Hyeon-sook Jo, because it was available to download in my hometown's library app, cloudLibrary, free of purchase. The adaptation follows the general plot of Hansel and Gretel, however, the illustrations in particular are unlike any I have read before. The illustrations feel extremely modern, with bright, jarring colors and abstract structure to the figures and objects. It is very clearly not the traditional storybook.

Joy Cowley adaptation

Rika Lesser adaptation

    Hansel and Gretel is an incredibly well-known story, leading to an overwhelming number of adaptations. Each adaption is unique according to the 'author' and illustrator, however, the stories themselves are remarkably similar. For example, the cover page of these two adaptations are vastly different, even though they are based off of the same story. 

    The Hansel and Gretel adaptation by Joy Cowley begins by introducing us to a small family of four, including a mother, father, and two young children, Hansel and Gretel. Shortly into the story, the mother dies and the father remarries another woman. The newly introduced stepmother does not like the children and convinces the father to leave his children in the woods, because "[they] are poor." Quite frankly, this man deserves worst father of the year for agreeing to the plan in the first place. Hansel overhears the discussion and fills his pockets with stones before leaving the house to mark the path. After the father and stepmother abandon them in the forest, the children find their way back to the house using the trail of stones. The next day, the stepmother once again takes the children deep into the forest. Hansel leaves a trail of breadcrumbs to mark their path, however, they are eaten by the wildlife, leaving the children stranded and lost. They come across a gingerbread house covered in candy and sweets. Inside the house, is an old woman "with black robes and a walking stick." 

    This portion of the story is nearly word for word the Hansel and Gretel story I was familiar with. I was surprised by the portrayal of the witch. In both the illustration and written description, the witches appearance is not obviously frightening. However, her actions are still reminiscent of the classic portrayal of the witch in Hansel and Gretel. She locks Hansel in a small room, feeding him candy through the bars to fatten him up. Meanwhile, Gretel works as a personal aide, helping the old woman perform simple tasks and labor. In this story, the old woman is portrayed as an evil witch, an 'other' living apart from society, alone in the woods. In this adaptation, she does not perform any traditional witchcraft. She is fattening up Hansel for the purpose of eating him, however this seems to be for nourishment, rather than a spell or potion. Some of the values that I took from this story are to work together, to not trust strangers, to never give up, and to not judge a book by its cover.