#334 of 1001 · June 30, 2021

Here we are at the center of Hansel and Gretel Week, examining a stunning adaptation by Rika Lesser and @paulozelinsky. Lesser’s quietly elegant writing style, with its straightforward language and unflinching depiction of cruelty and despair, honors the tradition of the Brothers Grimm. Zelinsky fills his haunting oil paintings with tantalizing elements that elucidate themes and character connections. Hansel’s outfit (brown jacket, white shirt, blue breeches, white stockings) greatly resembles that of his father, while Gretel’s clothing (blue dress, white shift, white apron, white bonnet) closely matches that of her mother…and of the witch. The house in the forest presents the familiar exterior of candy and baked goods. However, a view from behind reveals the sweets as nothing more than a facade, a false veneer applied over stone walls and a thatched roof. Scattered inside and out are a variety of arcane paraphernalia: a broom, occult symbols and diagrams (including pentagrams and the Planetary Seal of Saturn), various frogs and lizards, an hourglass, and a hand of glory. A note for folklore enthusiasts: unusually, Lesser bases her retelling on the first edition of Kinder- und Hausmärchen. Thus, the woodcutter’s wife is referred to as the children’s biological mother, and Gretel slides the witch into the oven on a bread board (before slamming and barring the door). #forest #woods #house #witch #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcover #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks