Hansel and Gretel
As in The Princess and the Pea (2007) and numerous other retellings, Isadora sets a traditional European fairy tale in an African setting. This time, Isadora chooses one of the scariest stories ever told about small kids who must fight evil, powerful adults. Spare prose combines with lush, bright cut-paper collage illustrations that show Hansel and Gretel abandoned in the dense forest, lured and locked up, and then finally triumphant after they trick the witch and push her into the burning oven. The immensely detailed double-page spreads are dense with jungle animals and plants, but the real terror is inside the witch’s house, filled with dark silhouettes. Drawing on beautiful, geometric African patterns common to traditional Kente cloth, Isadora balances her compositions with soothing white space. Kids will be held by this strong retelling of the familiar story about a brave boy and girl who overcome a looming threat and find their way home. Preschool-Grade 2. --Hazel Rochman