Gretel and Hansel by Bee Waeland is currently scheduled for release on May 16 2023. It is a wordless retelling of the fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel" in which a friendly woman lovingly decorates her candy home and two inconsiderate, greedy children take advantage of her kindness. When Gretel and Hansel abandon their wood-gathering chores and follow a fox deeper into the woods, they come across a delicious-looking house, the home of a friendly witch. Hungry after thoughtlessly feeding their picnic lunch to the wildlife, the two children start to devour the candy shingles, shutters and walls until the house begins to crack and crumble. Despite her initial shock, the witch is caring to the strangers and invites them in. But when they overstep the boundaries of her hospitality and start eating everything inside as well, it’s time for Gretel and Hansel to get their just desserts!
Gretel and Hansel is a cute fractured fairy tale and retelling of the classic. I liked that the that in this version the witch is not painted as the evil one, and that the pair do actually have some consequences for their actions. The power of telling the story without text makes each detail in the images more important, and I think Wealand did a great job with it here The art style reminds me of the classic picturebooks that I grew up with, the blocky paper cut style work that was very popular in the 70's and 80's. . It felt very nostalgic to me, and I think many adults sharing this book with young readers will agree.
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