Hansel and Grethel

Author: A Brothers Grimm Tale · Retold as a Fable by DozyStories

  • Age5–9
  • Reading time11 min
  • LevelIntermediate

Introduction

This story is retold here in the style of a Chinese fable. A fable is short, plain, and pointed: every scene carries one turn of the plot, every character is clear in a single line, and the lesson appears naturally at the end. The tale of Hansel and Grethel fits this form well, because it is built on choices and their results. Hansel marks the way home twice. The first time he uses stones, and the stones last. The second time he uses breadcrumbs, and the birds eat them. The old Chinese saying "prepare for a rainy day" comes to mind: a good plan must survive wind and weather. The story also celebrates quick thinking. Grethel does not fight the witch with strength; she turns the witch's own trick against her, which echoes the Chinese idea of winning by wits rather than by force. Readers who know the Grimm tales may notice that in the earliest version it was the mother, not a stepmother, who left the children in the woods; the brothers softened her into a stepmother later. The last line about a running mouse is an old storyteller's trick to wake the audience and bring them back to the real world. As you read with your child, pause at the sweet house and ask: why does the most tempting thing often hide the greatest danger? What kind of mark would you leave to find your way home?

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Hansel and Grethel - Under the moonlight, clever Hansel has a bright idea: he drops shining white pebbles to mark the way, and the first abandonment ends with the children safe at home. - Scene Illustration 1
Under the moonlight, clever Hansel has a bright idea: he drops shining white pebbles to mark the way, and the first abandonment ends with the children safe at home.
Long ago, beside a deep forest, there lived a poor woodcutter, his wife, and two children. The boy was Hansel, and the girl was Grethel. That year a famine came, and the family had almost nothing to eat. One night the woodcutter lay awake, sighing. "The children are starving," he said to his wife. "What shall we do?"
His wife frowned and said, "Tomorrow we will lead them deep into the forest, build them a fire, leave them some bread, and come home alone. They will never find the way back." The woodcutter shook his head. "How can I leave my own children? The wild beasts will tear them apart!" But his wife nagged and wept until he gave in.
The two children were too hungry to sleep, and they heard every word. Grethel began to cry. Hansel waved a hand. "Do not fear, little sister. I have a plan." When their parents were asleep, he crept outside. The moon shone bright, and the white pebbles by the house glittered like silver. He filled his pockets and slipped back to bed.
Before dawn the wife woke the children. "Get up! We are going into the forest to cut wood!" She gave each child a small piece of bread for lunch. On the way, Hansel kept looking back. "What are you staring at?" asked his father. "I am watching the little white cat on the roof," said Hansel. But in truth, every time he turned, he dropped a white pebble on the path.
Deep in the forest, the parents told the children to gather wood and make a fire. "We will come for you when the work is done," they said. Hansel and Grethel sat by the warm fire, ate their bread, and listened to the sound of chopping. But it was only a dry branch tied to a dead tree, knocking in the wind. Soon the children fell asleep, and when they woke, it was dark night.
Grethel began to cry again. "How can we ever get home?" Hansel smiled. "Wait for the moon. The pebbles will show us the way." When the moon rose, the white pebbles shone like a trail of silver. Hand in hand, the children walked all night and reached home at dawn. The wife scolded them, but the father hugged them tight. He had made up his mind: he would never abandon his children again.
Hansel and Grethel - The second time, Hansel can only mark the path with breadcrumbs, but the birds eat every crumb, and the children are lost in the deep woods. - Scene Illustration 2
The second time, Hansel can only mark the path with breadcrumbs, but the birds eat every crumb, and the children are lost in the deep woods.
Some days later, the house was empty of food again. One night the wife spoke to the woodcutter. "We have only half a loaf left. The children must go, and this time we will take them even deeper." The woodcutter's heart ached, but he could not refuse her twice. Once a person has said yes, refusing the next time grows harder.
The children heard it all once more. Hansel wanted to gather pebbles again, but the door was locked tight. He could only comfort his sister. "Do not cry. Sleep now. Help will come." The next morning the wife gave each child a smaller piece of bread and hurried them along. Hansel crumbled his bread in his pocket and dropped crumbs on the path as he walked.
Again his father asked why he kept looking around. "I am watching the little pigeon on the roof," said Hansel. The wife laughed at him, but Hansel went on dropping crumbs all the way into the deep woods. The parents built another fire, gave a few orders, and turned away.
At noon, Grethel saw that her brother's bread was all gone, so she shared her own with him. They ate, leaned by the fire, and slept. Night fell, and nobody came. When they woke, the forest was pitch dark. Hansel said, "Wait for the moon. The crumbs will lead us home."
But when the moon rose, the ground was bare. The birds of the forest had pecked up every crumb. The children walked all night and all the next day, hungry and tired, and found only a few wild berries. At last they could walk no more. They leaned against an old tree and fell fast asleep.
Hansel and Grethel - The hungry children find a house made of bread and sugar and think their luck has turned, not knowing it is the sweet trap of a wicked witch. - Scene Illustration 3
The hungry children find a house made of bread and sugar and think their luck has turned, not knowing it is the sweet trap of a wicked witch.
Three mornings had passed since the children left home. The children tried to walk back, but every step took them deeper. Soon they would starve in the forest.
Near noon, a snow-white bird sat on a branch and sang so sweetly that the children stopped to listen. When the song ended, the bird flew ahead of them, and they followed it to a little house. As they came close, they saw that the walls were made of bread, the roof of cake, and the windows of clear sugar. Hansel laughed. "Sister, what luck! I will try the roof, and you can taste the window." He broke off a piece of roof, and Grethel began to nibble the window.
A thin voice called from inside: "Nibble, nibble, who is eating at my house?" The children answered, "Only the wind, blowing through the trees." They did not care. They kept eating. Hansel pulled down a big piece of roof, and Grethel took out a whole sugar window and sat down to enjoy it.
Then the door opened, and an old woman came out, leaning on a stick. The children were so scared that they dropped their food. But the old woman smiled. "Dear children, how did you get here? Come inside and rest. You are no trouble to me." She led them in by the hand and served milk, sweet cakes, apples, and nuts. After the meal she showed them two little beds, and the sleepy children rested well till morning.
Yet the old woman's kindness was only a mask. In truth, she was a wicked witch who hunted lost children. The sweet house was her bait, and any child who came in would be killed, cooked, and eaten. For her, that was a feast day.
The witch's eyes were red, and she could not see far, but her nose was keener than an animal's. When she learned that children had come, she laughed to herself. "Meat in the trap," she said. "They will not escape."
Hansel and Grethel - Hansel is locked in a cage to be fattened, but Grethel keeps her wits and turns the witch's own trick against her, pushing her into the hot oven. - Scene Illustration 4
Hansel is locked in a cage to be fattened, but Grethel keeps her wits and turns the witch's own trick against her, pushing her into the hot oven.
Before dawn the next day, the witch came to look at the children. They were sleeping soundly, with round rosy cheeks. The witch licked her lips. "What tender meat!" She seized Hansel, threw him into a little shed, and locked the iron gate. Hansel shouted and screamed, but it was no use.
Then she woke Grethel. "Get up, lazy girl! Fetch water and cook for your brother. I must fatten him up. When he is fat, I will eat him." Grethel wept bitterly but dared not refuse. The best food was served to Hansel, while Grethel got only crab shells.
Every morning the witch came to the shed and called, "Hansel, stick out your finger. Let me feel if you are fat." But Hansel held out a thin bone instead. The witch's eyes were weak, and she could not tell the difference. She only wondered why the boy never grew fat.
After four weeks, Hansel was still thin, and the witch lost her patience. "Grethel! Fetch water quickly! Fat or thin, I will kill him and cook him tomorrow!" Poor Grethel carried the water with tears rolling down her face. "Dear God, please save us!" she cried.
The witch snorted. "Crying will not help you!" The next morning she heated the oven, kneaded the dough, and said, "We will bake first. Grethel, creep inside and see if the oven is hot." In her heart she planned to slam the door and bake the girl.
But Grethel saw the trick. She bowed her head and said, "I do not know how. How do I get in?" The witch scolded her. "Stupid goose! The hole is wide enough. I could climb in myself!" She bent down and put her head into the oven. Grethel pushed with all her might, sent the witch tumbling in, slammed the iron door, and dropped the bar. The witch howled inside, but Grethel ran away. The flames rose, and the wicked witch turned to ashes.
Hansel and Grethel - Carrying the witch's treasure, the brother and sister cross the river on a white duck, return to their father, and live in peace from that day on. - Scene Illustration 5
Carrying the witch's treasure, the brother and sister cross the river on a white duck, return to their father, and live in peace from that day on.
Grethel ran to the shed, opened the iron gate, and shouted, "Brother, come out! The old witch is dead, and we are free!" Hansel sprang out like a bird from a cage. The two hugged each other, laughing and jumping. They walked through every room of the house. In each corner stood boxes full of pearls and jewels. Hansel said, "These are worth far more than pebbles!" He filled his pockets, and Grethel filled her apron.
Carrying the treasure, they left the forest. After walking for hours, they came to a wide river. There was no bridge and no boat. Hansel frowned. But Grethel saw a white duck swimming over, and she sang, "White duck, white duck, please hear my call. Two children are standing here. There is no bridge and no boat. Carry us home across the water."
The duck swam to the bank. Hansel climbed onto her back and asked his sister to join him. Grethel shook her head. "Two are too heavy. Let us cross one at a time." The duck carried Hansel across first, then came back for Grethel.
After the river, the forest began to look familiar. Far away they saw their own house, and they ran all the way home and threw themselves into their father's arms. His wife had died, and the poor man had lived alone, regretting his choice many times. Grethel shook out her apron, and pearls and jewels rolled across the floor, while Hansel pulled handful after handful from his pockets. From that day on, the family's hard days were over. As the saying goes: when a brother and sister help each other, nothing is too hard. This story teaches us that at the darkest hour, a clear head and a helping hand can always find a way out. My tale is done — look, a mouse runs by, and whoever catches it may make a fine cap from its fur.

Vocabulary from "Hansel and Grethel"

12 key words from this story with definitions and original context sentences for language learners.

famineB2
/ˈfæmɪn/n.

A long time when there is not enough food and many people go hungry.

饥荒；大饥荒。

That year a famine came, and the family had almost nothing to eat.

那年闹饥荒，家里几乎什么吃的都没有了。

nagged(nag)B2
/næɡd/v.

Kept asking or complaining about the same thing until the other person gives in.

唠叨个没完；纠缠不休。

But his wife nagged and wept until he gave in.

可妻子又哭又闹，直到樵夫点了头。

glittered(glitter)B2
/ˈɡlɪtəd/v.

Shone with many small flashes of bright light.

闪闪发光；闪烁。

The moon shone bright, and the white pebbles by the house glittered like silver.

月光亮堂堂，屋前的白石子像银子一样发光。

crept(creep)B2
/krept/v.

Moved slowly and quietly, so that nobody would notice.

悄悄地移动；蹑手蹑脚地走。

When their parents were asleep, he crept outside.

等到父母睡熟，他悄悄溜出门外。

staring(stare)B2
/ˈsteərɪŋ/v.

Looking at something for a long time with your eyes wide open.

盯着看；凝视。

"What are you staring at?" asked his father.

“你在看什么？”父亲问道。

crumbled(crumble)B2
/ˈkrʌmbld/v.

Broke something soft into very small pieces.

捏碎；弄成碎屑。

Hansel crumbled his bread in his pocket and dropped crumbs on the path as he walked.

韩赛尔把面包在口袋里捏碎，一路走，一路往地上撒面包屑。

pitch darkB2
/ˌpɪtʃ ˈdɑːk/phr.

Completely dark, with no light at all.

漆黑一片；伸手不见五指。

When they woke, the forest was pitch dark.

醒来时，林子里伸手不见五指。

wickedB2
/ˈwɪkɪd/adj.

Very bad, evil, and intending to hurt others.

邪恶的；恶毒的。

In truth, she was a wicked witch who hunted lost children.

其实，她是个专门猎捕孩子的恶毒女巫。

baitC1
/beɪt/n.

Food or a nice thing used to attract someone into a trap.

诱饵；用来引诱的东西。

The sweet house was her bait, and any child who came in would be killed, cooked, and eaten.

糖屋就是她下的饵，孩子一进屋就要被她杀掉煮熟吃掉。

seized(seize)B2
/siːzd/v.

Took hold of something suddenly and firmly.

一把抓住；攫住。

She seized Hansel, threw him into a little shed, and locked the iron gate.

她一把抓住韩赛尔，关进小棚屋，锁上铁栅栏。

patienceB1
/ˈpeɪʃns/n.

The ability to wait calmly without getting angry.

耐心；耐性。

After four weeks, Hansel was still thin, and the witch lost her patience.

四个星期过去，韩赛尔还是那么瘦，女巫失去了耐心。

howled(howl)B2
/haʊld/v.

Made a long, loud, crying sound, like a wolf or a person in pain.

嚎叫；长嚎。

The witch howled inside, but Grethel ran away.

女巫在里面嚎叫，格蕾特却转身跑了。

Reading Together & Learning More

The Moral

No road is truly hopeless: a clever mind can find a way, and a brother and sister who stand together can pass through any danger.

Educational Value

Helps children learn to stay calm in trouble, to plan ahead, and to see that a quick mind and a helping hand beat brute force.

Tips for Parents

After reading, talk with your child about why Hansel's first plan worked and his second failed, why the sweet house was so dangerous, and what they would do to save a sister locked in a shed.

Talk About It

  1. Hansel used stones the first time and breadcrumbs the second. Why did one work and the other fail? What would you use to mark a path?
  2. The sweet house looked lovely but was a trap. What things in life look good but can be dangerous? How can we tell?
  3. The witch tried to trick Grethel into the oven, but Grethel turned the trick around. Did she win with strength or with her mind?
  4. If your sister were locked up and only you could save her, would you be afraid? What could help you stay calm?
  5. The father left his children twice, yet his heart ached. Was he right? Can a person who makes a mistake still be forgiven?

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