Traditional Literature #1 (Caldecott) (Cultural Diversity)

Hansel and Gretel
By: Rika Lesser
Illustrated by: Paul O. Zelinsky
Dodd, Mead and Company 1984
Traditional Literature
Grades 4-6

Hansel and Gretel are children of a poor woodcutter. Their mother decides that in order for her and her husband to survive, they must get rid of the children. Even though the father disagrees, he leads the children into the woods. The first trip, Hansel drops pebbles on the way into the forest. This allows the children to return home. However, on the second trip Hansel drops bread crumbs which get eaten by birds. Hansel and Gretel roam the the woods and find a house made out of food and candy. An old lady lives here and she locks up Hansel to make him plump enough to eat. On the day Hansel was supposed to be cooked, Gretel pushes the old lady into the furnace and frees Hansel. They return home to their father with treasures that will help them survive.

I love this book because I used to read it when I was young. I always think about how cool it would be to find a house made out of food and candy (especially for a child!). I think traditional books are important to teach children because they are books that have been around for years and years. Books like these will most likely interest students, encouraging them to read. Also, the pictures in this book did a great job at accompanying and explaining the story. Through the pictures, you could see the different emotions of all the characters. Perhaps a creative activity that could accompany this book would be to have students create their own bread house. They could either phsyically create it or just draw what their house would look like.