Hansel and Gretel by Michael Morpurgo & Emma Chichester Clark

Hansel and Gretel by Michael Morpurgo & Emma Chichester Clark, 2008.

Verse:

"Nibble-dee-day, nibble-dee-day. Who's nibbling at my house today?"

This is a nicely illustrated expansion of the Hansel and Gretel story. It keeps many of the tale's motifs and puts the focus on the children as part of their family unit. Hansel and Gretel live with their mother and father, Gabriel and Lisette, and all is good until a wicked witch, Belladonna, becomes jealous of Lisette and sets her sights on Gabriel and the children. She turns Lisette into a weeping willow tree, shape shifts into a beautiful young woman and pretends that she almost died while trying to prevent Lisette from drowning. Before long, she worms her way into the family and wins Gabriel's love, becoming his new bride. When the children cannot accept her, she brings a famine to the land and sets about getting rid of the kids in the usual way. Gabriel only pretends to go along with her demands to lose the children in the forest and helps them with the stones and breadcrumbs. When Belladonna learns of this, she turns Gabriel to stone and carries out the gingerbread house plan. After Gretel dispatches the witch in the oven, the kids return home, taking the hag's formerly fierce wolf-dog and discovering that her spells have been broken: the land is back in plenty and their parents are whole and healthy.

Clark's pictures have a pleasant, homey feel with characters dressed in folkloric patterned aprons and kerchiefs, pages bordered with vines, flowers and birds, and titles suggestive of  cross stitching. The family farm is full of chickens and the un-cursed forest teems with birds and animals. The witch's gingerbread house is cute as can be, surrounded by daisies, but her courtyard is a mess, filled with sticks, stones and bones. In her wifely form, Belladonna has disturbingly electric green eyes and in her full-on witchery she has pink eyes, a bulbous, warty nose, an abundance of facial hair and scraggly grey locks.

Seek this book out for a great longer read aloud with kids who already know the usual story.

Hansel and Gretel by Ian Wallace

Hansel and Gretel by Ian Wallace, 1994.

Variations:

• Setting is by the sea on the edge of a forest
• Does not mention God
• Children drop pebbles but say they're turning back to wave goodbye to the cat on the roof
• Hansel drops breadcrumbs but says he is turning back to wave goodbye to a pigeon on the roof
• Children follow a white bird to the witch's house
• House was "made of sweets with a roof made of cake and pure sugar for windows."
• Witch promises no harm will come to them
• Hansel is kept in a pen rather than a cage

Verse:

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

Ian Wallace made his illustrations in pastel pencil on black paper. The witch's head appears on the horizon on the book's cover, but Wallace does not show her "human" face inside at all, although she does appear in a surrealistic, ominous form as the forest and in a creepy visual postscript as a witch-shaped cloud of smoke rising from the oven chimney. Like Anthony Browne's book, (Picture books: Hansel and Gretel), this Hansel and Gretel has a more modern setting than most. The family's shabby  home appears to have a drop tile ceiling and a 70s vibe lamp, the father wears a baseball cap, the kids wear casual pants and the stepmother reads a scandal sheet of the "Batboy found!" variety. The art has dark overtones, from the literally dim and engulfing woods to the children's reunion with their father near the cemetery by their home. Wallace's version of the story is not your typical one, and is worth a look.

Hansel and Gretel by Beni Montresor

 

Hansel and Gretel by Beni Montresor, 2001.

 

Variations:

The details of  Montresor's concise story deviate quite a bit from the Grimms' version. The children are sent into the woods by their mother to pick strawberries, but they get lost on their own. Their parents worry when their offspring don't return, because the woods are infested with an evil monster, terrifying devils and witches. As the children spend the night in the forest, they dream that heavenly angels watch over them, and when they awaken, a castle has taken the place of the woods. This is the witch's home, and she wastes no time in throwing Hansel into a cage and forcing Gretel to prepare the cooking fire. Gretel uses the witch's magic wand to free Hansel, and together they push her into the fire. Other children imprisoned by the crone are now freed and the children are heroes. The tale ends there, with no reunion of the children and their parents.

Verse: none


Montresor uses dramatic silhouette art to tell his adaptation of the story. Bold backgrounds of colorful green, royal blue, red, etc. contrast with the white profiles of the children. The evil creatures are readily identifiable: red devils carrying pitchforks, green witches riding brooms, and a yellow eyed monster with a face like a Puffer fish. Likewise, the host of angels,  colored mauve and yellow, have crowns, wings and outspread arms. Though I personally don't care for what I feel are unnecessary changes to the story, the art makes this book stand out.

Hansel & Gretel by Lisbeth Zwerger

Hansel & Gretel by the Brothers Grimm & Lisbeth Zwerger, Trans. by Elizabeth D. Crawford, 1979.

Variations:

• Mentions God
• Hansel drops pebbles but says he is turning back to look at a white kitten 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
• House was "made of bread and roofed with cakes, and the windows were of pure sugar."
• Witch promises no harm will come to them
• Gives detail on the witch, including her keen sense of smell
• Hansel is kept in a kennel rather than a cage
• Children ride a white duck across the water to get home

Verse:

"Nibble, nibble, munch, munch.
Who is gnawing on my house?"

"The wind, the wind,
The heavenly wind."

"Duckling, duckling,
Help Hansel and Gretel.
There's no footbridge and no track.
Take us on your little white back."

Zwerger's watercolor illustrations  are done in neutral colors and put the focus on the children and their reactions. The woods are really a brown blur and the stepmother, a plain but normal looking woman, is only shown once. Even the witch is fairly subtle. Her robe has an absence of color and her skin a very faint green tint. Her most striking features are her amber eyes, that put one in mind of a snake or a toad. The overall effect is dreamy and melancholy, until the happy ending.

The Magic Tapestry by Demi

 

 

The Magic Tapestry: a Chinese Folktale retold and illus. by Demi, 1994.

 

In this satisfying tale from China's Guangxi Province, an old mother spends years weaving a perfectly beautiful tapestry, but just as she shows it to her three sons, it is stolen away by the fairies. The mother instantly falls ill and begs her oldest son to retrieve it. When the eldest boy finds out he must either endure hardships and danger to find it or can instead have a box of jewels, he takes the easy way out and runs off to the city with his new wealth. The selfish middle child does the same. His poor old mother has now blinded herself through weeping. Fortunately, the heroic youngest brother keeps his promise and faces fire, bitter cold and having to knock his front teeth out and feed them to a stone horse in pursuit of the tapestry. He saves the weaving, helps heal his mother and wins himself a fairy bride in the bargain!

 

Demi has retold and also illustrated the story, using colorful backgrounds of of pink, purple, blue and gold. As she often does, she uses a perspective that shows a whole scene with small, active figures, such as the family chasing after the tapestry as it is blown away by a mysterious, sudden wind or the eldest brother leaving the guardian spirit and making off with his jewels, crossing over a bridge and heading to the city before him. Two of the most exciting pictures are of the youngest boy as he rides his horse through two pages of leaping red and gold flames and then of curling icy waves. The final illustration shows the happy mother, son and fairy bride, living in the now real, former tapestry. They are surrounded by blossoms and lovely birds and animals.

 



Brush of the Gods by Lenore Look & Meilo So

Brush of the Gods by Lenore Look & Meilo So, 2013.

This is another story about a painter so talented that his works come to life.  ( See also Lord of The Cranes, Liang and the Magic Paintbrush, The Magic Horse of Han Gan and The Boy Who Drew Cats. It is the imagined story of Wu Daozi, a great Chinese painter that actually lived during the T'ang dynasty (618-907). Calligraphy was considered the highest form of art, but Wu Daozi painted lifelike figures with moment such as hair, scarves and robes swinging and blowing in the wind. Lenore Look based her tale in part on information found in T'ang poetry and essays.

In our story, young Wu Daozi tries to learn calligraphy from his monk instructor, but instead of characters, he paints plants and animals. As his canvas expands to city walls, he draws scenes with Buddhas and earns the nickname "Flying Sleeves." He paints all day long and collects food for the poor through his admirers' gifts. Until one day, when he draws a butterfly so full of life that it flies away and he has nothing to show at nightfall. Wu Daozi loses all of his followers except the faithful children, and when he has grown up, he receives a commission from the emperor himself. This allows Wu Daozi to create his masterpiece and maybe even to sidestep death itself!

Meilo So provides the book's watercolor, ink, gouache and colored pencil illustrations.

For St. Patrick's Day: Fin M'Coul by Tomie de Paola

Fin M'Coul: The Giant of Knockmanyhill by Tomie dePaola, 1981.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day and the fact that I'm somewhat Irish, let's take a look at the Celtic tale of Fin M'Coul and his clever wife Oonagh!  Although he is a fine giant himself, Fin has spent years running from the nasty Cucullin, a giant bully with magical strength provided to him by a brass finger. Cucullin has beaten every other giant in Ireland, and that is why he is coming for Fin. Luckily, Fin's lovely wife Oonagh has an ingenious plan to fool Cucullin, one that involves twenty one iron frying pans, fresh cheese, white stones and Fin all dressed up in baby clothes and lying in a huge cradle. Readers of all ages will love this funny and fantastic story of a bully's comeuppance and girls and women especially will appreciate the crafty Oonagh.

According to his website (http://www.tomie.com/) Tomie dePaola has written and/or illustrated almost 250 books and been published for 40 years. His books are classics, and this one is no exception. The art is colorful and playful, and dePaola's characters are very expressive and child pleasing. Readers will enjoy seeing the giants surrounded by smaller creatures such as tiny sheep, fairies, leprechauns and a bitty kitty cat. They will also get a laugh out of  bearded Fin dressed in his frilly pink bonnet, gown and baby booties.

Two of Everything by Lily Toy Hong

Two of Everything by Lily Toy Hong, 1993.

In this cheerful tale, the elderly and poor Haktaks survive  on what is grown in their tiny garden. One day, Mr. Haktak unearths an old brass pot that is too large to cook in and too small to bathe in. Fortunately though, it has the magical ability to double anything that is put inside it! The Haktaks soon have plenty of money and more than they need. Then, a small accident causes Mrs. Haktak to fall into the pot. What will the couple do with another Mrs. Haktak?

Lily Toy Hong's airbrushed acrylic and gouache paintings perfectly suit the jolly mood of the tale. The Hakataks look like friendly dolls with their plump bodies and round cheeks. Even so, they are anything but static, whether they wear bemused smiles, furrowed brows or matching expressions during sleep.

The Lost Horse: a Chinese Folktale

The Lost Horse: a Chinese Folktale by Ed Young, 1998.


The Lost Horse may remind older readers of Fortunately by Remy Charlip (which I believe was published in 1964) because of the twists and turns of fate. Ed Young tells us that the story is a proverb in China with variations throughout the Middle East. In Young's expanded version, Sai, the wise man, is able to recognize that when something happens, it is difficult to judge whether it is good or bad without getting some perspective on the whole situation. When his strong and fast horse runs away during a thunderstorm, people are sorry for Sai, but he knows that it may not be such a bad thing after all, and is proven right when his horse returns a few days later, accompanied by a fine mare. Yet, Sai realizes she may not be a wholly good gain...

This book was published as a book and puppet set, but sadly, the library copy that I'm reading no longer has the puppets. Apparently, three were included so that kids could tell their own stories. Young's illustrations are pastel and watercolor paint and collage and once again use warm earthy tones. At the book's beginning, he has included Chinese calligraphy telling the original Chinese story.

The Runaway Wok: a Chinese New Year Tale

The Runaway Wok: a Chinese New Year Tale by Ying Chang Compestine, Illus. by Sebastia Serra, 2011.

You may be expecting a variation on "The Gingerbread Boy" tale, but that is not the case with The Runaway Wok. It is actually based on the Danish folktale "The Talking Pot." On Chinese New Year's Eve, young Ming is sent to market to trade his family's eggs for a bag of rice. The local rich man has no intention of providing a New Year's feast and although Ming's parents are poor, they plan to make fried rice to celebrate and share with the neighbors. Instead of getting rice, Ming trades for a rusty, one-handled, singing wok. Once the wok has been cleaned up, with a "skippity-hoppity-ho!" it heads off to the rich man's house, returning with plenty of food. It repeats this three more times, bringing back gifts and improving the lives of the poor folk of Beijing. Readers will enjoy seeing the selfish and spoiled receive their due from the cheerful and tricky wok! A recipe for "Festive Stir-Fried Rice" follows the story.

Serra's colorful Beijing is bustling with people of all ages and animals like camels, oxen, cats, dogs and a monkey. His characters are very expressive,  such as the rich man's snooty wife with a small pursed bow of a mouth and one lowered arched eyebrow. One glance tells the reader the nature of her character.  Serra also shows us the happy festivity of Chinese New Year, with fireworks, strings of lanterns and a merry Dragon Parade.

Folktales of the Dragon King and His Sons

Legend of the Chinese Dragon by Marie Sellier, Illus. by Catherine Louis, Calligraphy by Wang Fei, 2006.

In ancient China, tribes lived under the protection of local animal spirits, such the bird of the mountains and the serpent of the high plains. But, because the people fought each other in the names of their spirit protectors, the children of China decided to create an animal that would watch over everyone, putting together the best qualities of each tribe's animal spirit. They came up with: a dragon! When the adults saw the beautiful creature, they vowed to end wars, and so the Chinese dragon became a symbol of peace.

Louis' art appears to be woodblock prints tinted with strong rainbow colors.

The Sons of the Dragon King: a Chinese Legend by Ed Young, 2004.

The uniting dragon mentioned above is here called the Dragon King and in this story he has nine sons who are each given a purpose. Every son has a habit that is judged to be unbecoming in the son of a king. The king is ready to scold, but then wisely finds a way that each behavior can be channeled for the benefit of the people. His noisy son Pu-Lao learns to become as musician, and his image decorates the musical instruments of China. Sixth son Ba-Sha frolicks all day in the water, but as he is a strong swimmer, the Dragon King recognizes that he can protect water travelers, and his face is used on China's bridges. Disruptively angry Ya Zi is pegged for military service and adorns the country's weapons. Therefore, the Dragon king is satisfied as each of his children learns and settles into his appropriate role.

Ed Young's illustrations of the dragon sons contrast their activities before and after parental guidance: indulging in their inappropriate behaviors and in their noble symbolic forms.

Lord of the Cranes retold by Kerstin Chen

Lord of the Cranes retold by Kerstin Chen. Illus. by Jian Jiang Chen, 2000.

Tian is a wise old mountain dweller whose friends are the cranes. One day, he decides to disguise himself as a beggar and test the people below to see if they are remembering to be kind. Unfortunately, most people ignore him until he meets the owner of an inn who freely gives him food and drink every day. In order to repay him, Tian paints three magical cranes on the inn 's wall. They spring to life and dance for the innkeeper's customers. Because of this, the generous man also becomes a rich and successful one, who thereafter encourages others to share and be kind as he is.

Jian Jiang Chen's bright and bold paintings bring the tale to life. Sunset colored skies of orange, pink and purple contrast with the white winged cranes. Brush strokes highlight the birds' movements in flight. Old Tian appears dignified and serene.

Chinese Fables by Shiho S. Nunes

Chinese Fables: "The Dragon Slayer" and Other Timeless Tales of Wisdom by Shiho S. Nunes, Illus. by Lak-Khee Tay-Audouard, 2013.

The book's preface explains that the nineteen fables in this collection were chosen from Chinese Fables and Parables by Wolfram Eberhard, an American folklorist.  In the eary 1970s, he recorded five hundred tales with a line or two. Nunes expanded the descriptions into stories such as "The Practical Bride," "Kwan-Yin, the Goddess of Mercy," and ""Sakyami and Lao-Tse," and kept the core truths and moral lessons. Many, like ""Scaring the Tigers," "The Same Difference"  and "The King of Beasts," will make readers smile. The original sources, from 500-250 BCE to 1368-1643, are listed in the back of the book.

The book's attractive  pencil and wash pictures have elements of traditional Chinese art and are inspired by Chinese folk art. To match the "rustic quality of these tales" Lak-Khee Tay-Audouard used ground tea powder, earth, pressed leaves, sackcloth, charcoal and bamboo rag paper to create her illustrations.

Rabbit's Gift: a Fable From China

Rabbit's Gift: a Fable From China by  George Shannon, Illus. by Laura Dronzek, 2007.

This centuries-old folktale has been shared in China, Germany, Japan, France, Spain, Syria and Jordan. In wintertime, a lucky rabbit finds two turnips and decides to leave one for his friend Donkey. She already has enough food, and kindly takes it to Goat's door and so the gifting goes on. Imagine Rabbit's surprise the next morning when he finds it again at his house!

Laura Dronzek's  child-pleasing acrylic paint illustrations enrich the story. The uncluttered, serene pictures put the emphasis on the generous animal friends. The rich colors Dronzek has chosen contrast nicely with the snowy winter landscape.She includes decorative turnip borders that incorporate the Chinese symbols for rabbit, donkey, goat and deer.

Mouse Match by Ed Young

Mouse Match by Ed Young, 1997.


This is a Chinese version of a folktale also found in Japan (see The Greatest of All, retold by Eric Kimmel, described in my post The Mightiest One ) . In his Author's Note, Ed Young tells readers that  some variety of the story is told in Korea, India, Burma, Ethiopia, France, Germany and North America (by native peoples).  In Mouse Match, loving mama and papa mice try to find a suitable husband for their wonderful daughter. They hope for no less than "the greatest and most powerful one in the world." So, they begin with the sun, only to learn that there is someone more powerful, the cloud, who claims that there is another still greater than he. The mice are passed through a chain of the mighty and finally find a surprising yet perfect match for their daughter and also gain wisdom that helps them to answer questions for the rest of their days.

The book's pages are printed on heavy card stock and folded accordion style so they can be pulled out to view the entire tale like a mural. One side is in English accompanied by Young's collage illustrations and the flip side has the story in Chinese:





From http://learningmandarinwithmydaughter.blogspot.com/



This book nicely showcases Ed Young's pastel and watercolor collages. The stark black silhouettes of the mice stand out against these backgrounds and the creatures' body language makes them endearingly expressive.  As in Young's best work, there is plenty of texture and subtle color variations that make readers want to touch the pages.

Chinese Tale Series: Chang'e Flying to the Moon

Chang'e Flying to the Moon Adapted by Wang Zhiwei, Trans. by Liu Yonghou, Illus. by Zhao Jing & others, 2005.

I think that this is the first Chinese folktale I've looked at that was produced and printed in China. It is part of Dolphin Books' Chinese Tale Series and is written in English and Chinese. The English translation is not always smooth, but the story is still quite interesting.
 Houyi the archer impresses a group of fairy maidens with his shooting talent and becomes charmed by the most beautiful one, Chang'e. Almost immediately, he has a chance to win her when he slays an attacking heavenly wolf. The Lord of Heaven decides that the two young ones should marry, but later, for reasons that are not explained, Houyi shoots down the nine suns, and gets himself and Chang'e thrown out of the heavenly palace and into the human world. Houyi adapts well to this life, having become a champion of the people and killing all the beasts and monsters that threaten them, such as Big Wind Bird, Three-Tailed Dragon, a nine headed monster and more. Chang'e is not having such an easy time. She misses her husband when he is gone, longs for life in the heavenly palace and frets because she and her man are now mortal.
In order to end his wife's worrying, Houyi makes the dangerous trip to Kunlun Mountain to visit the West Queen Mother and bring back the elixir of immortality. This brings about tragedy for the couple and explains why the moon is always bright and gentle on August 15th.

Learn more about Chang'e at: http://www.moonfestival.org/change.html

The Dragon Emperor: a Chinese Folktale

The Dragon Emperor: a Chinese Folktale retold by Wang Ping, Illus. by Tang Ge, 2008.

This is another offering in the "On My Own Folklore" series and it is divided into four detail-packed short chapters, but is still heavily illustrated. It tells of the Yellow Emperor, A.K.A. the Dragon Emperor, who was born on Mount Tai, home to snake-bodied gods and goddesses. With four faces and a dragon's body, the Yellow Emperor ruled the people, but he also taught them how to survive by cooking food with fire, digging wells and building houses. He was an inventor and encouraged his people to also create, and so written language, laws and a calendar came about. Unfortunately, one of his greatest warriors, the Black Dragon, called Chi You, made war against the Emperor. Chi You had supernatural powers and 81 equally fierce fighting brothers. Ten battles were fought, and then the emperor found help: Ying Long the dragon, who could control the weather, and Ba the Drought Goddess (the Yellow Emperor's daughter). After defeating his foe, the Yellow Emperor was the sole ruler of the Middle Kingdom until he rode away on Ying Long's back, disappearing into the heavenly court, leaving behind people who continued to worship him.

In the book's Afterword, we learn that the Yellow Emperor is seen as China's founder. Chi You is also honored during festivals, and Ying Long is China's most popular dragon, with dragon dances done for him on New Year's Day.

Tang Ge's colorful art captures the odd majesty of the magical animals, unusual appearing deities and terrifying warriors of the story. Chi You has six scaly arms and four green eyes that match his emerald fangs, but also has the body of a mighty man. The emperor, in his human form, has a long white beard and a rich robe, and he casually perches on Ying Long, the dragon with golden wings and antlers and an impressive snaky tale.

The Luminous Pearl: a Chinese Folktale

The Luminous Pearl: a Chinese Folktale retold by Betty L. Torre, Illus. by Carol Inouye, 1990.

Under the sea, the Dragon King and his advisers attempt to find a husband for his daughter, the intelligent and lovely princess. She knows her own mind and refuses everyone that they suggest, waiting instead for a man who is honest and brave. Admiral C. Horse knows of such a fellow,Wa Jing, so they devise a test for the young man to prove himself worthy. He dreams of a beautiful maiden, but shares this with his older brother, and soon both are in a contest to win the heart of the sea girl. She will marry the brother who can bring her a magical pearl that shines by night. Each brother sets off to find the treasure, but along the way they both promise to help the people of a flooded village. Eventually, each must make a choice: bring back a pearl for the Dragon King's daughter or honor his promise to the villagers. So, the brothers are tested. Which one will become the bridegroom of the fair princess?

Carol Inouye's artwork is a fine accompaniment to the story of The Luminous Pearl. Readers will enjoy the weird and whimsical pictures of the dragon-headed king and his sea creature/humanoid advisers that resemble a crab, tortoise, octopus, etc. People who like pretty princesses will not be disappointed in the beauteous sea maiden. The colors and details of the underwater kingdom should please everyone, with waving plants, lacquered screens and curious fish.

8,000 Stones: a Chinese Folktale

8,000 Stones: a Chinese Folktale by Diane Wolkstein, Illus. By Ed Young, 1972.
This folktale centers around the gift of an elephant from the prince of India to Ts'ao Ts'ao, the Supreme Governor of China. The amazing creature is ten feet tall, but no one knows how much it weighs. The royal advisers can't figure out how to weigh the elephant, but Ts'ao Ts'ao's little son P'ei has a method that just may work. The clever child eventually becomes the emperor of all China in a.d. 200.

Like many of the Chinese folktales mentioned on this blog, 8,000 Stones is illustrated by Ed Young.

The Hunter: a Chinese Folktale

The Hunter: a Chinese Folktale retold by Mary Casanova, Illus. by Ed Young, 2000.

During a drought, the village hunter, Hai Li Bu, has occasion to rescue a pearly colored snake from a hungry crane. The reptile, not just what she seems, is the daughter of the Dragon King of the Sea, who rewards the hunter with the treasure of his choice. Although he is offered rubies, emeralds, sapphires or pearls, Hai Li Bu asks that he may understand the animal's language. With this talent he is able to provide food for his village and restore health to his people. Then one day he learns from the creatures that a flood is coming that will destroy the village. He has been told that if he reveals the source of his gift, he will be turned to stone. Yet, without proof his people will not believe his story of danger. Will Hai Li Bu sacrifice himself to save the lives of so many others?

Ed Young's pastel and gouache illustrations have graceful line drawings against warm sepia backgrounds, highlighted with white and subtle color.