Hansel and Gretel: The Graphic Novel

Description

When their parents leave them in the forest, Hansel and Gretel must find their way home. During their journey, they discover something better, a house made of sugary sweets! Too bad it's owned by an evil, and hungry, old witch.

Donald Lemke works as a children's book editor. He has written dozens of comic books, including the Zinc Alloy series and the adventures of Bike Rider, and many chapter books for DC Comics. Donald lives in Minnesota with his beautiful wife, Amy, and their not-so-golden retriever, Paulie.

I found this graphic novel reviewed at The Graphic Classroom and though it came out last year it's very appropriate for the end of Hansel & Gretel week. The book is by Stone Arch Books graphic novel arm, Graphic Spin, and is one of a series of retold fairy tales. (You can find out more about Graphic Spin and their Fall 2009 releases HERE.) Below are all the fairy tale covers I could find. You can find the amazon list - which includes the Spanish versions - HERE. There is also a complete set available through Stone Arch Books and Amazon. Personally, I love the range of illustrative styles and non-traditional (or non-Disney-esque) representations of the characters and stories. I'm putting a couple on my wishlist to check out the writing and interior.-- "Fairy Tale News Blog" STORY REVIEW Do I really need to give a plot overview of this one? Better yet, let me explain why this story creeps me out. Ever since I was a young child who came across this tale in a Grimm Brothers Fairy Tale book on my parents' bookshelf, I have been spooked by the story of Hansel and Gretel. First, the two siblings clearly have lost their loving mom, only to be replaced by a cold-hearted stepmother (abandonment). Then, the stepmother hatches a plan with dear ol' dad to leave the kids out in the forest so that the grown-ups have enough to eat and not have to share with Hansel and Gretel (adults rule the world). The kids hatch a plan to make it back home. It doesn't work (ineptitude). The wandering children stumble upon a house of sweetness, only to find themselves on the dinner menu for a witch disguised first as a kindly grandmother (powerlessness). Sure, the kids get even in the end (cooked witch, anyone?), but still ... each step of the way, I felt some part of my secure and safe childhood being toyed with in an evil way. I always wondered: could this happen to me, too? How would I survive if I were left alone to my own devices? Which brings me to this graphic novel version of the classic tale and I can say that this Stone Arch version, adapted by Donald Lemke and illustrated by Sean Dietrich, is strange and odd and creepy in every way you would want the story to be. HANSEL AND GRETEL make good use of the graphic novel format as we see the fragility of the situation etched on the faces of the kids. ART REVIEW The artwork by San Dietrich really stands out here. He uses bold and dark colors throughout the book, giving the story an eerie glow of uncertainty. I was put off at first, and still am unsettled, by the huge eyeballs of Hansel and Gretel. They are like spinning globes on their faces, as if some Manga maniac went a little too wild with their pen set. But it has an emotional effect on the reader, which is to show the strange wonder of the situations on the faces of the children. In contrast, the father and stepmother have almost rectangular eyes that represent cunning and evil. And the eyes of the half-blind witch? Hers are dead black - like pools of black ink in which there is no escape. The eyes in this version of the story tell a lot about character, which is fascinating to consider in the graphic novel format. IN THE CLASSROOM Obviously, this book is a classic fairy tale, and this graphic novel would enhance any unit on fairy tales. As I mentioned in the art review, the use of colors and facial features really could spark an interesting conversation about the choices that an artist makes when trying to retell a classic story. One huge bonus to the Stone Arch fairy tale collection is that in the back of the book, there is a nice overview of where and how the story originated (in this case, the Grimm Brothers may have heard the story of Hansel and Gretel from a woman named Henriette Dorothea Wild, Germany, in the 1800s). The book also features three discussion questions, three writing prompts and then urges readers to explore more about the story on their own. These additions are a nice touch for teachers and students using graphic novels in the classroom. MY RECOMMENDATION I would highly recommend this book for any upper elementary or younger middle school classroom. The story might not hold much interest with older readers and may be a bit too unsettling for very young readers. There is no inappropriate language or images.-- "The Graphic Classroom"