A unique retelling of the tale of Hansel and Gretel, Bee Waeland's Gretel and Hansel is done completely without any words at all. Additionally, Waeland goes with a happy tale. An only slightly evil witch, plus a dad who is searching for his kids, keep this one safe for the little ones.

I think the jolly, colorful illustrations would make Bee Waeland's Gretel and Hansel a lovely addition to the libraries of the Pre-k and under crew.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
This is a wordless book. All of the illustrations are bright and pop. The story has an overall happy tone, unlike your typical telling of Hansel and Gretel.

This is a wordless graphic novel. Many know the traditional story of Hansel and Gretel. The kids get lost in the woods. The witch has made her house a lure to find kids to cook and eat. In this book, we see the witch, having fun and making treats for herself and her cat. The kids go out with the Woodsman to chop some wood. The kids chop the witch’s house. She invites them in to show all they had to do was ask. But when one of the children takes the food, leaves a mess, and dumps the cat bowl, he gets turned into a frog. The witch does not eat the kids, she sends them home to the woodsman. This is fun and the illustrations remind one of Todd Parr while at the same time being completely unique. The illustrations plus a live narrator could make this could fun to read over and over and over again.

Gretel and Hansel by Bee Waeland is currently scheduled for release on May 16 2023. It is a wordless retelling of the fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel" in which a friendly woman lovingly decorates her candy home and two inconsiderate, greedy children take advantage of her kindness. When Gretel and Hansel abandon their wood-gathering chores and follow a fox deeper into the woods, they come across a delicious-looking house, the home of a friendly witch. Hungry after thoughtlessly feeding their picnic lunch to the wildlife, the two children start to devour the candy shingles, shutters and walls until the house begins to crack and crumble. Despite her initial shock, the witch is caring to the strangers and invites them in. But when they overstep the boundaries of her hospitality and start eating everything inside as well, it’s time for Gretel and Hansel to get their just desserts!

Gretel and Hansel is a cute fractured fairy tale and retelling of the classic. I liked that the that in this version the witch is not painted as the evil one, and that the pair do actually have some consequences for their actions. The power of telling the story without text makes each detail in the images more important, and I think Wealand did a great job with it here The art style reminds me of the classic picturebooks that I grew up with, the blocky paper cut style work that was very popular in the 70's and 80's. . It felt very nostalgic to me, and I think many adults sharing this book with young readers will agree.

Here's a clever, completely wordless retelling of the familiar tale of two children lost in the woods. Waeland puts a spin on this classic when despite finding the kiddos treating her house like a salad bar, the witch kindly invites the pair inside, where they proceed to make utter pigs of themselves. Finally . . . she's had enough, and . . . well, you'll have to read it to find out.

I loved the bold, in-your-face graphics, and I suspect your little ones will too.

This is a cute little picture book. My youngest enjoyed it. We like to tell our own story as we flip through! Very colorful and kids friendly.

Literally, a “picture book”. A wordless retelling of ‘Hansel and Gretel.’

You might have heard the German fairy tale of ‘Hansel and Gretel.’ This is a retold version of the same, where the lead pair is depicted as selfish and greedy kids who overstep a witch’s hospitality and destroy her home. After eating all the desserts, Hansel and Gretel get their just desserts.

I liked how the book highlights that Hansel and Gretel too were in the wrong, something the original classic conveniently brushes aside. I also enjoyed the ending of the story, somewhat different from that of the fairy tale. I loved the witch’s black cat as well – she was cool!

So far, so good.

The problem is that the whole story comes to us only in pictures. There’s not a single word in the book! (Well, except in the initial copyright info pages.) Of course, the book doesn’t try to hide this fact. It’s my fault for assuming it would be in the usual style. I missed out on one key phrase in the blurb: “told without words”. TBH, I didn’t even reach that line. I just read the introductory line that said, ‘A graphic retelling of the fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel"’, and jumped to get the book.
(Note to self: Read the whole blurb in future!)

My query is: How will a wordless story work as a retelling if kids don’t know the original? It might work as a basic standalone picture book as the illustrations give some clue about what’s happening. But if it is marketed as a ‘retelling’, it needs to work as a ‘retelling’, which means children better know the original as well. It cant be left to adults to update kids on the original story, especially considering the age group we are talking about.

Of course, there are a couple of advantages to this style too. Kid aren’t dependent on adults to “read the book”. They might use their own imagination to fill in the blanks. But if so, ‘Hansel and Gretel’ is too complicated a story to be “read” only through pictures.

The art style is quite different, The illustrations are like cut-outs of shapes strung together. It makes for a different feel, with the bright colours and bold shapes adding a great learning opportunity.

The book is meant for kids aged 3-5. I think it might work for the younger segment, maybe kids aged 1-3, who will enjoy a book based on pictures. But I would want kids aged 4+ to read books with at least a few words.

Maybe this will work better in schools as an imaginative ‘guess-the-story’ game. Not my favourite, though.

2.75 stars.

My thanks to Orca Book Publishers and NetGalley for the DRC of “Gretel and Hansel”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Hansel and Gretel is a widely-known fairy tale. Two children get lost in the woods, but they come across a house made entirely of candy. They gorge themselves, only to learn the house is owned by a hungry witch! What happens next varies, as the story has been told and changed so many times to emphasize various morals. Now it’s being told again.

Bee Waeland tries her hand at this story in Gretel and Hansel, the second book in her fractured fairy tale series following The Three Bears and Goldilocks. In this retelling, the witch was happy to share with the children until they got too greedy. Annoyed at her hospitality being taken advantage of, she turns Hansel into a frog. There’s dark humor here, sure to get a good laugh out of readers of all ages.

This book, like the others in the fractured fairy tale series, is told without words. The illustrations are vividly colored, with full bold shapes in a modern art-deco style. Owning her own print shop, Waeland knows how to create art that draws the eye and engages readers of all ages.

Ideal for ages 3-5, this wordless story is perfect for engaging young and old readers alike. By creating a book without words, Waeland encourages readers to tell their own stories to fit the pictures and thus immerse themselves in story-time. Themes of hospitality and sharing can easily be drawn and explored creating a fun, educational experience that will bring readers closer together.

The illustration has good dynamics in color! I showed this to my younger sister and she enjoyed the drawings as much as I did. It was a nice short take on the classic fairy tale.

Purely modern, bold design to attract readers of all ages! The beauty of wordless picture books is that children and their grown-ups can take the reigns and tell the story as they want. This hones little imaginations, language development, storytelling skills, and creativity. The slightly muted and moody color palette stimulates curiosity and the incorporation of flat, simple shapes offers an opportunity for discussion about shape recognition. The story of Hansel and Gretel is inventively retold with a new twist - working in the kids' favor - at the end. Great for preschoolers, around ages 3-5. Available in hardcover May 16, 2023!

Twisted fairytales are so fun and this one is no exception. The illustrations are colorful and engaging, encouraging the reader to elaborate on the story in whatever way they want!

Graphically beautiful, and interesting enough for a wide range of readers! This will make a lovely addition to our wordless picture book collection.

This was a very cute graphic depiction of the children's classic. A great piece to use for anyone who wants to add their own spark to the story.

This book would be great for kids to use during writing class as it is a book with no words. This book could also be used to teach character development in a book.

I love that this book is wordless and from the witches point of view. It is a fun adaptation that I think the kids will enjoy.

A retelling of Gretel and Hansel where they are the bratty antagonists sounded too fun and creative to resist, but this ain't it. I enjoyed the loud art and vibrant colours, but the story (or the lack of one) left much to be desired. Interesting that the book is completely wordless but it didn't work for me at all in this case.

I love love loved the illustrations in this book.

The colors were beautiful and the shapes were so much fun.

After flipping through this book I felt like coloring.

It’s perfect for really young children. Would also be fun for the kids to make a story up based upon the pictures since there are no words.

This is a wordless picture book telling the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel, but from the witches point of view. She was busy minding her own business, when two children , who were supposed to be helping their dad collect firewood, decided to follow a fox into the forest, where they discovered the witches home, and decided to just start eating it, because that is what you do, right?


The witch invites them in, and offers her food from the house, but the kids are insatiable, and make a mess, and eat too much, so she gets annoyed, and changes Hansel into a frog, before they escape, and return to their father


And the witch and her cat live happily ever after.


A fun adaption of the original story, which I think kids will enjoy. And because it is wordless, they can read it on their own.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. The book is coming out the 15th of may from Orca Book publisher.