Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Kids outsmart those who would harm them in fresh update.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
A poor broom maker, his "wicked" wife, and the man's young son and daughter live on the edge of a dark, scary forest. The stepmother believes they can no longer support the children, HANSEL AND GRETEL, so she tells her husband her plan to lead them into the deepest, darkest part of the forest and leave them there. "We'll make a fire for them and give them each a piece of bread. Then we'll leave them by themselves and go off to our work. They won't find their way home, and we'll be rid of them." Stunningly, their father, described as "an easygoing man" and "weak-willed," goes along with her evil plot after she insists all four of them will starve to death unless they take this grave action. The parents leave them overnight, but the kids find their way back. So the parents try it a second time. Hansel is confident he and Gretel can find their way back again because he secretly left breadcrumbs to mark the path, but birds eat the crumbs. After a few days the starving kids follow a bird to a cottage made of candy, cookies, and gingerbread and can't resist taking nibbles of it. An old woman from inside calls out, "Nibble, nibble, little mouse, who is nibbling at my house?" and invites them in for "a proper meal." It turns out she's the child-stealing witch Hansel had seen in his nightmares! It will take all the siblings' bravery and cleverness to figure out how to avoid being cooked and eaten by the witch and find their way back home to their father.
Is It Any Good?
This classic fairy tale gets an inspired reboot thanks to the brilliant pairing of horror master Stephen King and the late children's author-illustrator Maurice Sendak. They are brothers in grimness (although they apparently never met), and both the art and text in this Hansel and Gretel maintain the menacing atmosphere of the kids' perilous adventure. The text is quite long but broken up by some well-placed spot art. The pictures don't always precisely match the action, given that the art was not created for this exact text. And images of the dark, scary forest are a bit repetitive and don't advance the story. But it is still a grand achievement to have these two storytelling giants work together, in a manner of speaking, to revitalize this old gem for a new generation of young readers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the scary apects of Hansel and Gretel. Which would be worse, being captured by a mean witch who wants to eat you or being left alone in a dark forest among wild animals that might eat you?
Why are scary stories fun to read or hear? What grabs you the most, the courage of the hero or the meanness of the villain? What's your favorite fairy tale? Why?
Which picture in the book is your favorite? Which is the scariest? Which is the funniest? Try drawing a picture of a scary forest.
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Maurice Sendak
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Fantasy ( Magic )
- Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Harper Collins Publishers
- Publication date : September 2, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 6 - 8
- Number of pages : 48
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 25, 2025
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