Hansel & Gretel

Starred review from July 20, 2015
Neil Gaiman and Lorenzo Mattotti’s version of Hansel and Gretel may be a current darling, but Hobbie’s version is as harrowing, if not more; the starving family’s plight and grim cruelty that drive the action seem grounded in a not-very-distant world (witch in a pointy hat notwithstanding). It starts on the first spread, when the stepmother announces at the dinner table that if the children’s woodcutter father refuses to reduce the number of hungry mouths by two, he’ll need to “Make four coffins.... One for each of us” (a phrase drawn from the Brothers Grimm). Working in watercolor, ink, and gouache, Hobbie (Gem) offers an emotionally searing scene: Gretel has stopped stirring her gruel and stares at the stepmother, while Hansel, his spoon frozen inches from his mouth, looks wide-eyed at his father. The woodcutter, dressed in overalls (a Let Us Now Praise Famous Men vibe accompanies many of the images), has his back to readers, so his reaction—horror? resignation?—can only be imagined. Both the witch and the stepmother are eventually dispatched, but until that happens Hansel and Gretel have seldom seemed more vulnerable and abandoned. Ages 3–6.

August 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-Hobbie's version of the classic Grimm tale does not differ much from other editions found in most picture book collections. The author wrote the story based on her childhood memories of listening to a recording of the Great Gildersleeve's reading of the tale. Hobbie's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations are expressive, particularly in depicting the fear in the children's eyes as they sit by the fire in the woods awaiting their fate. VERDICT A fine addition to replace worn copies of the classic tale; this will be especially embraced by fans of Hobbie.-Kris Hickey, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2015
Hobbie's stripped-down retelling of "Hansel and Gretel" maintains a high degree of fidelity to the classic fairy tale, while her illustrations reveal a rich array of artistic influences on her visual interpretation of the story.Befitting the tragic beginnings of the tale, Hobbie eschews the pastoral, light style she's known for in her eponymous commercial illustrations and in the Toot and Puddle books. Eerie, dark landscapes abound, and shades of German expressionism are apparent in the hollow, gaunt faces of the woodcutter and his wife, while the children's waiflike but spritely depictions bring to mind the earthy style of illustrator Brock Cole. The witch, meanwhile, is white of face, round of form, and spindly-limbed, making her reminiscent of the wicked crones found in Anthony Browne's and Lisbeth Zwerger's retellings of the same tale. This is not to say that Hobbie's work is derivative, and given her usual style, it's remarkable that her strongest pictures are those that indulge in the dark and dreary. There are also some marvelous, cheery compositions, including the one depicting the children's reunion with their father. Here, he stands before a white sheet hanging on the line, creating a natural bright highlight behind his open arms as his children run toward him.A fine addition to the fairy-tale shelves. (Picture book/fairy tale. 4-8)

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