The classic fairy-tale from the Brothers Grimm is retold by Carol North in this Little Golden Book edition, which, as part of the "Golden Super Shape Book" collection, has been cut along the page-edges to approximate the outline of the witch's house. The tale itself, in which the eponymous siblings are abandoned in the forest by their impoverished parents, before finding their way to a witch's house made of eatables, follows the standard trajectory, as the children eventually defeat their witchy captor and escape...

Although I do love fairy-tales, this version of Hansel and Gretel is not one that would tempt me to pick it up, in the ordinary course, as the artwork from illustrator Terri Super is just too pastel and cutesy to appeal to me. I ended up tracking it down because it was included in a list of "witchy picture-books," over on goodreads - I have a weakness for such witchy tales - and I was curious. Unfortunately, I was mostly indifferent to it. There's nothing really wrong with the book, and I can see it having appeal, especially for younger children, but the aesthetic style just wasn't to my taste. ( )

In my opinion, this version of Hansel and Gretel is a decent retelling of the classic folklore. I liked Carol North's writing. The story is organized and flows well together. For example, the tale was told in chronological order. Transitions such as "early the next morning..." and "when they got deep into the forest..." were used well to make the events flow together.

The idea of this story is that you should not always trust people right away. Hansel and Gretel trusted the witch when she offered them into her home and later regretted it. ( )