The Higher Power of Lucky

Hansel and Gretel, Retold and Illustrated by Rachel Isadora

Picture Book for Children Ages 4 and Up

5 Out of 5 Stars

The new stepmother of Hansel and Gretel abandon the children in the woods, only to be captured by an evil witch. With quick wit and wisdom, Hansel and Gretel defeat the evil witch as well as the stepmother and return home to the happy life of living only with their father.

The evil stepmother pressures her husband, the father of Hansel and Gretel, to abandon the children because of how poor the family is. Although the father does not want to do this, he feels left with no other choice. At the end of the story, after Hansel and Gretel get away from the bad witch and return home with all of the witch’s pearls and precious gems, the stepmother has passed away and the family has plenty of money due to the jewels brought home by the children. The story then concludes by stating, “All the cares were at an end and they lived happily ever after” (Isadora). In this story, the power of money is at the center of this text. The family struggles to provide adequate food for all in the beginning of the story because they do not have enough money. This also causes the stepmother to convince her husband to abandon his children in the woods. Nobody is happy in this part of the story. The father misses his children and regrets his decision. The stepmother still has no more money than before and therefore is not happy about life. The children are lost, hungry, and get captured by a witch. It is not until the end of the story when the children come home with jewelry to sell for money that the family is happy. The fact that the stepmother, the only one who cared the most about money, was also gone caused the story to end on a happy note as well. This story shows people that money is directly linked to happiness, and that money can make people do things that they normally would not do.

Hansel and Gretel is a common and classic fairy tale. Due to its history and popularity, I would use this book in my classroom as the children would enjoy hearing a familiar tale. One reason why I may choose not to use this book is because of the fact that the family in the story is illustrated as a black family. This depiction could lead to students falling into the stereotypical relationship of black people struggling financially, since poverty is a big part of what this story is about.  On the flip side, this version of Hansel and Gretel is a positive version because of the way the family is illustrated as black. This is a positive because most fairy tales tell stories about white people, so this story takes diversity into account. If I were to read this book to my class, I would hope that they find the aesthetic value of the wonderfully collaged illustrations as well as the magical tale of good conquering evil. Due to the upper level reading required in this book, I would either read the book out loud to my class, or I would use it in the form of literature circles. In the literature circles, the students would discuss the book and their assigned readings daily as well as complete different activities so that they really understand what this book is all about and all that is has to offer.

Check out Susan Patron's awesome website to learn more about Lucky and her adventures, as well as some great teacher resources.