Donald Lemke works as a children's book editor and writer. He has written dozens of books for young readers--from board books to middle-grade novels--that often include today's most popular characters, such as Batman, Superman, Scooby-Doo, and more. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his beloved family, which includes his wife, Amy, and their three growing-up-way-too-fast daughters.
I found this graphic novel reviewed at The Graphic Classroom and
though it came out last year it's very appropriate for the end of
Hansel & Gretel week. The book is by Stone Arch Books graphic novel
arm, Graphic Spin, and is one of a series of retold fairy tales.
(You can find out more about Graphic Spin and their Fall 2009
releases HERE.) Below are all the fairy tale covers I could find.
You can find the amazon list - which includes the Spanish versions
- HERE. There is also a complete set available through Stone Arch
Books and Amazon. Personally, I love the range of illustrative
styles and non-traditional (or non-Disney-esque) representations of
the characters and stories. I'm putting a couple on my wishlist to
check out the writing and interior.-- "Fairy Tale News Blog"
STORY REVIEW Do I really need to give a plot overview of this one?
Better yet, let me explain why this story creeps me out. Ever since
I was a young child who came across this tale in a Grimm Brothers
Fairy Tale book on my parents' bookshelf, I have been spooked by
the story of Hansel and Gretel. First, the two siblings clearly
have lost their loving mom, only to be replaced by a cold-hearted
stepmother (abandonment). Then, the stepmother hatches a plan with
dear ol' dad to leave the kids out in the forest so that the
grown-ups have enough to eat and not have to share with Hansel and
Gretel (adults rule the world). The kids hatch a plan to make it
back home. It doesn't work (ineptitude). The wandering children
stumble upon a house of sweetness, only to find themselves on the
dinner menu for a witch disguised first as a kindly grandmother
(powerlessness). Sure, the kids get even in the end (cooked witch,
anyone?), but still ... each step of the way, I felt some part of
my secure and safe childhood being toyed with in an evil way. I
always wondered: could this happen to me, too? How would I survive
if I were left alone to my own devices? Which brings me to this
graphic novel version of the classic tale and I can say that this
Stone Arch version, adapted by Donald Lemke and illustrated by Sean
Dietrich, is strange and odd and creepy in every way you would want
the story to be. HANSEL AND GRETEL make good use of the graphic
novel format as we see the fragility of the situation etched on the
faces of the kids. ART REVIEW The artwork by San Dietrich really
stands out here. He uses bold and dark colors throughout the book,
giving the story an eerie glow of uncertainty. I was put off at
first, and still am unsettled, by the huge eyeballs of Hansel and
Gretel. They are like spinning globes on their faces, as if some
Manga maniac went a little too wild with their pen set. But it has
an emotional effect on the reader, which is to show the strange
wonder of the situations on the faces of the children. In contrast,
the father and stepmother have almost rectangular eyes that
represent cunning and evil. And the eyes of the half-blind witch?
Hers are dead black - like pools of black ink in which there is no
escape. The eyes in this version of the story tell a lot about
character, which is fascinating to consider in the graphic novel
format. IN THE CLASSROOM Obviously, this book is a classic fairy
tale, and this graphic novel would enhance any unit on fairy tales.
As I mentioned in the art review, the use of colors and facial
features really could spark an interesting conversation about the
choices that an artist makes when trying to retell a classic story.
One huge bonus to the Stone Arch fairy tale collection is that in
the back of the book, there is a nice overview of where and how the
story originated (in this case, the Grimm Brothers may have heard
the story of Hansel and Gretel from a woman named Henriette
Dorothea Wild, Germany, in the 1800s). The book also features three
discussion questions, three writing prompts and then urges readers
to explore more about the story on their own. These additions are a
nice touch for teachers and students using graphic novels in the
classroom. MY RECOMMENDATION I would highly recommend this book for
any upper elementary or younger middle school classroom. The story
might not hold much interest with older readers and may be a bit
too unsettling for very young readers. There is no inappropriate
language or images.-- "The Graphic Classroom"
I found this graphic novel reviewed at The Graphic Classroom and
though it came out last year it's very appropriate for the end of
Hansel & Gretel week. The book is by Stone Arch Books graphic novel
arm, Graphic Spin, and is one of a series of retold fairy tales.
(You can find out more about Graphic Spin and their Fall 2009
releases HERE.) Below are all the fairy tale covers I could find.
You can find the amazon list - which includes the Spanish versions
- HERE. There is also a complete set available through Stone Arch
Books and Amazon. Personally, I love the range of illustrative
styles and non-traditional (or non-Disney-esque) representations of
the characters and stories. I'm putting a couple on my wishlist to
check out the writing and interior.-- "Fairy Tale News Blog"
STORY REVIEW Do I really need to give a plot overview of this one?
Better yet, let me explain why this story creeps me out. Ever since
I was a young child who came across this tale in a Grimm Brothers
Fairy Tale book on my parents' bookshelf, I have been spooked by
the story of Hansel and Gretel. First, the two siblings clearly
have lost their loving mom, only to be replaced by a cold-hearted
stepmother (abandonment). Then, the stepmother hatches a plan with
dear ol' dad to leave the kids out in the forest so that the
grown-ups have enough to eat and not have to share with Hansel and
Gretel (adults rule the world). The kids hatch a plan to make it
back home. It doesn't work (ineptitude). The wandering children
stumble upon a house of sweetness, only to find themselves on the
dinner menu for a witch disguised first as a kindly grandmother
(powerlessness). Sure, the kids get even in the end (cooked witch,
anyone?), but still ... each step of the way, I felt some part of
my secure and safe childhood being toyed with in an evil way. I
always wondered: could this happen to me, too? How would I survive
if I were left alone to my own devices? Which brings me to this
graphic novel version of the classic tale and I can say that this
Stone Arch version, adapted by Donald Lemke and illustrated by Sean
Dietrich, is strange and odd and creepy in every way you would want
the story to be. HANSEL AND GRETEL make good use of the graphic
novel format as we see the fragility of the situation etched on the
faces of the kids. ART REVIEW The artwork by San Dietrich really
stands out here. He uses bold and dark colors throughout the book,
giving the story an eerie glow of uncertainty. I was put off at
first, and still am unsettled, by the huge eyeballs of Hansel and
Gretel. They are like spinning globes on their faces, as if some
Manga maniac went a little too wild with their pen set. But it has
an emotional effect on the reader, which is to show the strange
wonder of the situations on the faces of the children. In contrast,
the father and stepmother have almost rectangular eyes that
represent cunning and evil. And the eyes of the half-blind witch?
Hers are dead black - like pools of black ink in which there is no
escape. The eyes in this version of the story tell a lot about
character, which is fascinating to consider in the graphic novel
format. IN THE CLASSROOM Obviously, this book is a classic fairy
tale, and this graphic novel would enhance any unit on fairy tales.
As I mentioned in the art review, the use of colors and facial
features really could spark an interesting conversation about the
choices that an artist makes when trying to retell a classic story.
One huge bonus to the Stone Arch fairy tale collection is that in
the back of the book, there is a nice overview of where and how the
story originated (in this case, the Grimm Brothers may have heard
the story of Hansel and Gretel from a woman named Henriette
Dorothea Wild, Germany, in the 1800s). The book also features three
discussion questions, three writing prompts and then urges readers
to explore more about the story on their own. These additions are a
nice touch for teachers and students using graphic novels in the
classroom. MY RECOMMENDATION I would highly recommend this book for
any upper elementary or younger middle school classroom. The story
might not hold much interest with older readers and may be a bit
too unsettling for very young readers. There is no inappropriate
language or images.-- "The Graphic Classroom"
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