Hansel and Gretel [Paperback]

Beloved author James Marshall--creator of George and Martha--puts a hilarious twist on a classic tale in his retelling of Hansel and Gretel.

Abandoned in the woods, what will Hansel and Gretel - so innocent, so vulnerable, so deliciously plump - do when they come face-to-face with a dastardly, ugly, over-dressed witch? Once again Marshall works his magic on a popular tale, retelling without reshaping it and infusing both text and pictures with ingenuous simplicity lit by flashes of roguish humor. Gretel is the clearer-eyed here--the first to comprehend that the chubby, scowling woodcutter's wife (never specifically referred to as mother or stepmother) means no good, and that the gaudily dressed woman in the candy house is a witch. After the witch is roasted to a regular crisp in her own oven, Hansel and Gretel return home in triumph and are last seen decked with jewels, posing with their joyful father. Marshall's comic genius is less appropriate to this dark tale of betrayal than to Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs, which better lend themselves to farce; but his fans will probably be delighted with this anyway. --Kirkus ReviewsJames Marshall was born in San Antonio, Texas, and grew up sixteen miles outside of the town on the family farm. His father, who worked for the railroad, had his own dance band in the thirties and appeared on the radio. His mother, also musical, sang in the church choir. So it wasn't surprising when Jim considered playing the viola for a career and received a scholarshipto attend the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. But during an airplane trip he was jerked out of his seat and injured his hand, and that was the end of his musical career.

He returned to San Antonio College and later Trinity, where he studied French under Harry Allard, his future collaborator. After moving East, Jim graduated from Southern Connecticut State University with a degree in history and French. The French major somehow wound ul“I