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A review by katykelly
Hansel & Gretel by Neil Gaiman
5.0
Dark! Now the text has always been dark, but the graphic-style illustrations that complement Gaiman's version of the text here really do remind us of the grim (no pun intended!) origins of these stories; hardly the saccharine and bright stories they can be today.
Here every picture is black and white, mostly black. The characters are only seen as shadows, we don't see their features. The gingerbread house? Black! The woods are black, it's all very dark and sinister. And it really suits the tale.
This has always been one of my favourite fairy tales, and not just for the sweeties. Gaiman doesn't in fact embellish the fairy tale we know, but does make small adjustments from versions we may be familiar with. The stepmother is their mother, Gretel is short for Margaret/Greta, the children find rich belongings from past victims and take them home. It was never a long story, or one that would be changed hugely. Gaiman doesn't make it funny, or contemporary, or snide. It's the fairy tale retold with some very sinister illustrations.
Only about 25 pages of text, so would probably do for an older child's bedtime (aged 6-9), it's not one I'll be reading to my four year old! We like the colourful gingerbread house versions, of course.
But for an adult as well as an older child, it's a nice take on the fairy tale, with a good double page spread at the end talking about the story's origins, interpretations and various versions over the centuries.
It's one I would borrow from the library unless you're keen on the artwork, but it is very beautiful as art.
Here every picture is black and white, mostly black. The characters are only seen as shadows, we don't see their features. The gingerbread house? Black! The woods are black, it's all very dark and sinister. And it really suits the tale.
This has always been one of my favourite fairy tales, and not just for the sweeties. Gaiman doesn't in fact embellish the fairy tale we know, but does make small adjustments from versions we may be familiar with. The stepmother is their mother, Gretel is short for Margaret/Greta, the children find rich belongings from past victims and take them home. It was never a long story, or one that would be changed hugely. Gaiman doesn't make it funny, or contemporary, or snide. It's the fairy tale retold with some very sinister illustrations.
Only about 25 pages of text, so would probably do for an older child's bedtime (aged 6-9), it's not one I'll be reading to my four year old! We like the colourful gingerbread house versions, of course.
But for an adult as well as an older child, it's a nice take on the fairy tale, with a good double page spread at the end talking about the story's origins, interpretations and various versions over the centuries.
It's one I would borrow from the library unless you're keen on the artwork, but it is very beautiful as art.