Oh this classic! I really do like this book, I just don’t know if this book has a place in my classroom. I don’t know if this book was ever read to me as a child, but I’m sure it was. I do recall there was a movie I had watched. I have to say, my impression at first was wow - this isn’t a cheerful book at all! The book had a sweet ending, but not sweet enough to justify reading this book to my class. There isn’t a lesson that I can think of incorporating this in to. The book does teach how to out smart situations, plan ahead and think. ( )

Hansel and Gretel get left in the woods by the evil stepmother. They wander towards a house made of candy where they are kidnapped by an evil witch. Finally, the children outsmarted the witch and found their way back home to find their stepmother had died. I had only ever heard this story orally so I loved seeing the illustrations, it brought the story to life for me. I particularly enjoyed the illustration of the candy house. It looks like a welcoming place to those who do not know what lies inside. ( )

Hansel and Gretel by James Marshall is a folktale about a brother and a sister who are left in the woods by their terrible step mother. The first time they are left, they find their way back. The second time they are left, they are unable to find their way back and end up finding a house made of candy. The children are tricked by a witch, and Hansel is locked up into a cage. The witch uses Gretel to help with chores. The witch plans to cook Hansel once he is nice and fat and eat him. Then the witch decides that she wants to cook Gretel as well. Gretel shoves the witch into the oven and she dies. Gretel and Hansel find all sorts of riches in the witches house, and they fly back to their father on a goose. The discover that their step mother has died, and their father is very happy to see them again because he missed them terribly.

The illustrations go hand and hand with the text. There is a lot of imagery in this story. For example, when the children get to the house made of candy, you can imagine them eating the roof and the candy window pane. ( )

An evil step mother and an evil witch in one story? Join Hansel and Gretel as they search to find home in a dark and dangerous forest. ( )

I did not enjoy reading this book. I did not like the book for two reasons. The first reason I don't like is that I don't like the message of the book. I do not like that it gives the message that if you are a bad person something bad will happen to you. For example the bad witch burns and the mean mother dies. The second reason is that I do not like how they kill off the mother just because she is bad. For example, at the end of the book, it states that the children go home to their dad to find out their mother has died. I think this gives the message to children that bad people deserve to die. The lesson of the story is that bad things happen to bad people. ( )