Jane Ray's version of "Hansel and Gretel" seems to revisit the older version of fairy tales. A far cry from the Disney version of fairy tales we have become accustom to, this story shows some of the classic elements of fairy tales. It begins as a step mother is plotting to get rid of her husbands children since they cannot feed them due to a drought. The children do run into a witch and are able to get away and find their way home. Though the book is not the romanticized version of Hansel and Gretel we may be used to now I enjoyed this version. The illustrations were fantastic and I enjoyed them as much as I did the story. ( )

I have heard of the story of Hansel and Gretel but this version is more than grim than I remembered. The tale was always fun to imagine as a child when we are introduced to this house made of sweets and it was also fun to be scared of the witch. In this version of Hansel in Gretel, the author adds this horrible reality. The area they were living in was going through a drought, therefore, they didn't have any food. The Step mother decided to send the children off because they (her and their father) couldn't care for their basic needs anymore. This may have been a scary reality for people of this time and this version addresses that. This grim tale, however, does have a sort of happy ending. The children outsmart the witch and find their way home. What was left in my mind, that may not be left in a child's was will this happen again? Will there be a shortage of food and the children will have to fend for themselves? This book shows the sad reality within a fairy tale. ( )

Just a beautifully produced and illustrated book - a joy to hold.

dreamy illustrations