Hansel & Gretel

Gr 3 Up-Anyone introducing the story of "Hansel and Gretel" to children for the first time will want to choose an edition with representational illustrations that provide solid visual clues to the story. Those adaptations exist in abundance, but this book is not one of them. Czech artist Pacovská's version is quite the opposite, supplementing the traditional Grimm Brothers' text with semiabstract images that compel viewers to come up with new interpretations of the familiar tale. Why does the witch, rather than the two children, dominate the cover? Why has the artist scrawled wolves on random pages? Is this primarily a story about the abandonment of children, a cautionary tale about the dangers lurking in the forest, or something else altogether? Pacovská, past winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator Medal, is embraced internationally for her work, but her sophisticated approach to picture book making has yet to find the right audience in the United States. Her illustrations, relying on silver foil and a palette of bright colors and rendered in geometric shapes and bold brushstrokes, have caught the eye of many adult art lovers but fewer adults who work with young people. Unfortunately, the typographical errors found in this volume do not reflect the usual quality of this European-based publisher, but that may matter less when the book is picked up for its illustrations rather than for the tale it tells. Ideal for demonstrating how a single text can be open to various meanings, this title would be a perfect way to promote both literary interpretation and visual literacy in a literature or art classroom. VERDICT Not for everyone, but budding artists would be delighted to discover this displayed on a shelf.-Susan Stan, Professor Emerita of English, Central Michigan University © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

An unusual presentation of the folktale, perhaps best for children already familiar with the story. The full version of the Grimms' tale is presented in a few text-heavy pages scattered throughout the volume's abstract artistic interpretations, including figurative scribbles of Hansel, Gretel, and the witch. Pacovska's graphically strong illustrations in bold colors, including metallic silver on glossy paper, are arresting. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.