Picture Books: Hansel and Gretel

I'm now looking at various illustrated versions of fairy tales by title.

I am starting with "Hansel and Gretel." If you don't know the story, or need a refresher, you can do no better than to look at the Surlalune website. This site is amazing, and I also very frequently check out the Surlalune Blog.

http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/hanselgretel/

In this post:

• Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm, illus by Anthony Browne, 1981
• Hansel and Gretel by Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Jen Corage, 2008.
• Hansel and Gretel retold and illus. by Rachel Isadora, 2009.
• Hansel & Gretel by the Brothers Grimm, retold by Amy Erlich, illus. by Susan Jeffers, 1980, 2011.
• Hansel & Gretel by the Brothers Grimm, retold and illus. by Will Moses, 2006.

Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm, illus by Anthony Browne, 1981.

This is adapted from a translation by Eleanor Quarrie, 1949.

Variations:

• Mentions God
• Hansel drops pebbles but says he is turning back to look at a white cat on the roof
•  Children think that their father is nearby in the woods, but he has fixed a tree branch to strike a  tree to sound like an axe cutting wood
• Hansel drops breadcrumbs but says he is turning back to look at a dove on the roof
• Children follow a white bird to the witch's house
• Witch promises no harm will come to them
• Gives detail on the witch, including her keen sense of smell
• Children ride a white duck across the water to get home

Verse:

"Nibble, nibble, little mouse,
Who is gnawing at my house?"

"Only the wind,
The Heaven-sent wind."

"Little duck, little duck,
Here stand Hansel and Gretel.
There is no bridge upon our track,
Take us over on your white back."

"My tale is done; see the mouse run;
Catch it if you would, to make a fur hood."

Anthony Browne has set his story in modern times and dispensed with folkloric costuming. He stresses the poverty of the family through the run-down quality of their home. There are bare patches in the ceiling plaster, peeling wallpaper and holes in the curtains, though they do have a television set and the stepmother owns fancy red high heel shoes. Hansel, Gretel and their father's clothes have dirty spots, but the stepmother looks clean and stylish (albeit with a black beehive hairdo).
Browne's art has something of a surrealistic quality, although not as overt as in Gorilla or Changes. When the parents are in bed, the bars of their headboard seem to foreshadow the dark trees of the wood or the bars of Hansel's cage. The frowning stepmother is later shown behind bars as she stares through the window at the returning children after Hansel's pebbles proved a successful guide. The witch is also shown looking out the window of the sweet house, and her features, like her pursed mouth and black mole resemble the cruel stepmother's. The witch looks like any elderly woman, but stern, with red-rimmed eyes. Browne has cleverly painted her with a lovely black cat, and she is positioned between the parted curtains in a way that places her inside a sharp black triangle suggestive of a witch's hat. The shadow of her hand feeling the bone that Hansel offers resembles a snake with a protruding tongue.
This is a book that I would gladly add to my own fairy tale collection!

Hansel and Gretel by Cynthia Rylant, illus. by Jen Corage, 2008.

Variations:

• Courage and bravery stressed
• Talks about wickedness and explains characters' behavior
• Doesn't mention God, but guardian spirits
•  Smiling stepmother takes them into the woods saying they are going to find flowers and look at birds.
• She claims the parents will bring the children berries, but they are abandoned
•  Smiling witch who claims to love children
• Both children are put in cages
• Children ride a white swan across the water to get home
• Stepmother died eating mushrooms
• Joy, forgiveness and love bring the happy ending

Verse:

"Children dear, children fair,
I love children, everywhere."

Jen Corace's art definitely attracts me to this book. It looks like art deco "cozy cottage" type illustration, the kind you see on vintage mottos. For example:

From Pinterest

She successfully uses a muted color scheme with pops of bright: shades of deep forest green and olive, a variety of browns from tan to chocolate and berry red or sunny yellow.

Corace's stepmother has mostly neutral expressions and is not unattractive. The witch is a pleasant looking old lady in a black dress with a red hooded wrap. Even at her nastiest, she does no more than frown. Her dear little house doesn't really look like it's made of sweets, but the plants in the window boxes do. One of the prettiest pictures is Hansel and Gretel crossing the water while riding the large graceful swan. Pink waterlilies and pads surround them and the pale tan water seems to emphasize the swan's whiteness.

This is another lovely edition that I would like to collect.

Hansel and Gretel retold and illus. by Rachel Isadora, 2009.

I have talked about this version before in the post Fairy Tales Set in Africa by Rachel Isadora .

Variations:

•  This is a less detailed story than the others in this post
•  Unlike the Grimms' tale referenced on Surlalune, there is no mention of God

Verse:

"Nibble, nibble, little mouse,
Who is nibbling at my house?"

"My tale is done,
A mouse has run,
And whoever catches it can make for himself
from it a large, large fur cap."

In the illustrations, the stepmother always looks cross and the witch is frightening, obviously not a normal human, with green skin and blazing red eyes.

 Hansel & Gretel by the Brothers Grimm, retold by Amy Erlich, illus. by Susan Jeffers, 1980, 2011.

This translation of the story is from Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm by Mrs. Edgar Lucas, 1902.

Variations:

• No mention of God
• Children follow a white bird to the witch's house
• Witch's keen sense of smell is mentioned
• Hansel is kept in a stable, not a cage

Verse:

"Nibbling, nibbling like a mouse,
Who's that nibbling at my house?"

Amy Erlich's illustrations were done in ink and dyes over pencil drawings. Animals feature prominently, from the children's pet white cat and dove (which is not mentioned in the story), to the birds and forest creatures, like rabbits, bats, deer and an owl. The stepmother is constantly scowling, but the matronly witch looks unthreatening in her mob cap and apron adorned with gingerbread people. Her cake house is dripping with frosting and candies. Jeffers's detailed drawings of the woods are impressive, especially a two-page spread of Hansel and Gretel in the forest at night, their two figures the only color in a mass of white leaves and black branches.

Another version I would be happy to own.

Hansel & Gretel by the Brothers Grimm, retold and illus. by Will Moses, 2006.

Variations:

• Mentions God
• Hansel drops pebbles but says he is turning back to look at a white cat on the roof
• Tree trick used
• Time passes before the children are put out again
• Hansel drops breadcrumbs but says he is turning back to look at a pigeon on the roof
•  Children follow a white bird to the witch's house
• Specifically calls the house gingerbread
• Witch promises no harm will come to them
•  Witch's keen sense of smell is mentioned
• Children ride a white duck across the water to get home
• Stepmother dies of a black heart

 Verse:

"Nibble, nibble, I hear a mouse,
Who's nibbling on my house?"

"Tis the wind, the wind; it's very mild,
Blowing like the Heavenly Child."

"Help us, help us, beautiful duck!
We are Hansel and Gretel and out of luck.
We can't get across the river, try as we may,
Won't you please help us, this fine day?"

"Like a mouse caught by a cat, my tale is finished! Sleep well tonight, and don't let this old story give you a fright. Your parents love you dear and will never let harm come near!"

Folk artist Moses' oil paintings make the most of the rural setting. The mountains and green forest that surround the children's home are with filled colorful plants and wildlife such as bears, fox, and wolves. The fair haired children appear in traditional German costume and folklore motifs are frequently used, on the characters' painted beds and other furniture, and decorating the witch's shutters and even the doors of her oven. More motives like a running deer, a pot of flowers and bright birds adorn the book's margins.
The stepmother has wide, staring eyes and open mouth as she is caught mid argument. The witch has a hooked nose, a warty chin, and big eyes with tiny blood red pupils. Her gingerbread house is an inviting one, not only made of tasty treats, but surrounded by a garden with an arbor, a hay wagon and playful farm animals.