Hansel and Gretel and the Green Witch by L. North
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20361/G2PK60Abstract
North, Laura. Hansel and Gretel and the Green Witch. Illus. Chris Jevons. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree Publishing, 2015. Print.
This book is a “health message” twist on the Hansel and Gretel story. The children in this story watch television and eat junk food. They follow a trail of doughnuts into the forest, where they are captured by a witch. Instead of fattening them up, she forces them to do exercise and eat healthy foods, because she only eats healthy kids. By the time the witch, who sometimes wears sweat pants and carries a megaphone, thinks Hansel and Gretel are ready to eat, they are fit enough to run away.
Children will like the brightly coloured pictures, which the illustrator, Chris Jevons, obviously had fun creating. They will also be drawn in by Laura North’s completely original take on the story that they already know. The story is simply told, with easy words for beginning readers.
The two puzzles at the end of the book are not essential to the story, but would be a fun way to review the story with children. This book is recommended for school and public libraries.
Highly Recommended: 4 stars out of 4
Reviewer: Sean Borle
Sean Borle is a University of Alberta undergraduate student who is an advocate for child health and safety.
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