Hansel & Gretel

Starred review from July 20, 2015
Neil Gaiman and Lorenzo Mattotti’s version of Hansel and Gretel may be a current darling, but Hobbie’s version is as harrowing, if not more; the starving family’s plight and grim cruelty that drive the action seem grounded in a not-very-distant world (witch in a pointy hat notwithstanding). It starts on the first spread, when the stepmother announces at the dinner table that if the children’s woodcutter father refuses to reduce the number of hungry mouths by two, he’ll need to “Make four coffins.... One for each of us” (a phrase drawn from the Brothers Grimm). Working in watercolor, ink, and gouache, Hobbie (Gem) offers an emotionally searing scene: Gretel has stopped stirring her gruel and stares at the stepmother, while Hansel, his spoon frozen inches from his mouth, looks wide-eyed at his father. The woodcutter, dressed in overalls (a Let Us Now Praise Famous Men vibe accompanies many of the images), has his back to readers, so his reaction—horror? resignation?—can only be imagined. Both the witch and the stepmother are eventually dispatched, but until that happens Hansel and Gretel have seldom seemed more vulnerable and abandoned. Ages 3–6.

July 1, 2015
Hobbie's stripped-down retelling of "Hansel and Gretel" maintains a high degree of fidelity to the classic fairy tale, while her illustrations reveal a rich array of artistic influences on her visual interpretation of the story.Befitting the tragic beginnings of the tale, Hobbie eschews the pastoral, light style she's known for in her eponymous commercial illustrations and in the Toot and Puddle books. Eerie, dark landscapes abound, and shades of German expressionism are apparent in the hollow, gaunt faces of the woodcutter and his wife, while the children's waiflike but spritely depictions bring to mind the earthy style of illustrator Brock Cole. The witch, meanwhile, is white of face, round of form, and spindly-limbed, making her reminiscent of the wicked crones found in Anthony Browne's and Lisbeth Zwerger's retellings of the same tale. This is not to say that Hobbie's work is derivative, and given her usual style, it's remarkable that her strongest pictures are those that indulge in the dark and dreary. There are also some marvelous, cheery compositions, including the one depicting the children's reunion with their father. Here, he stands before a white sheet hanging on the line, creating a natural bright highlight behind his open arms as his children run toward him.A fine addition to the fairy-tale shelves. (Picture book/fairy tale. 4-8)

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August 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-Hobbie's version of the classic Grimm tale does not differ much from other editions found in most picture book collections. The author wrote the story based on her childhood memories of listening to a recording of the Great Gildersleeve's reading of the tale. Hobbie's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations are expressive, particularly in depicting the fear in the children's eyes as they sit by the fire in the woods awaiting their fate. VERDICT A fine addition to replace worn copies of the classic tale; this will be especially embraced by fans of Hobbie.-Kris Hickey, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2016
With a setting that suggests early-twentieth-century northern Europe or North America and an unadorned text adapted from Manheim's 1977 translation of the Grimms' tale, this handsome edition will suit readers looking for a traditional rendition that strikes just the right balance between Ycf2]scaryYcf1] and Ycf2]not-tooYcf1]. That deep green forest is mysterious but inviting, and the witch's house looks delicious.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 2015
Straightforward, single-story editions of classic folktales are surprisingly scarce these days; the last Hansel and Gretel we reviewed in the Magazine was Rachel Isadora's 2009 version, which set the story in Africa (Hansel and Gretel, rev. 5/09). Although Hobbie's take on the tale has an indeterminate setting, the clothing, coloring of the characters, and looming pine forest suggest northern Europe or North America in the early twentieth century. That deep green forest is mysterious but inviting, its darkness ameliorated by the delicacy of watercolor and draftsmanship in its execution and by the light with which Hobbie foregrounds the unfortunate children. The penultimate illustration of the children returning home masterfully opens up the perspective from the close confines of the forest and witch's house. That house, by the way, looks delicious, and the witch herself is a white-powdered, lantern-jawed jolie laide whose pointy hat retains the memory of elegance. With an unadorned text adapted from Manheim's 1977 translation of the Grimms' tale, this handsome edition will suit readers looking for a traditional rendition that strikes just the right balance between scary and not-too. roger sutton

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)