Hansel And Gretel

Hansel and Gretel by author and illustrator James Marshall is a story about two young children who's parents try to abandon them in the forest due to a famine preventing the family to have much food. The children ate a lot and the greedy mother didn't like the idea of having to feed them. The first attempt to leave the kids in the woods is a failure due to hansel's quick thinking to drop peplos behind him to mark the trail back to the house. The parents shocked by the children's return take them on yet another abandonment trip into the woods. This time a white bird leads the two children to a small witches cabin decorated with candy. The witch attempts to trick the children into becoming her next meal but doesn't succeed as the kids put her in the over and escape. This book can teach young children about the importance of never giving up as well as the art of prediction making while reading books. The most common goal of the story is to not trust strangers especially when they may be plotting to eat you such as the witch. The illustrations in this version of the book re detailed and eye catching with bright colors on the pages. Another feature of this book is when in the story it is night, the background of the illustration is black to give the sense of night. Overall this book is a great selection and I highly recommend it.