Hansel and Gretel / Hansel y Gretel
Adaptation by Elisabet Areya; illustrated by Cristina Losantos
The Musicians of Bremen / los Musicos de Bremer
Adaptation by Roser Ros; illustrated by Pep Montserrat
These two are the latest offerings in a bilingual series that retells children’s classics, both published in Catalan before making it to our shores.
Hansel and Gretel is of course the unforgettable tale of two abandoned children who make their way to a witch’s gingerbread cottage. The story seemed choppy, as if some of the story’s flow either didn’t translate well or was truncated to make room for the Spanish version.
The Musicians of Bremen fared better, and resounds with the barking, braying and caterwauling of various animals tossed out by their fickle owners after a lifetime of service. Talk about age discrimination – I know people who’d sympathize. The cast-off critters decide to head for Bremen to join its famous band, but settle into a cozy cabin after their cacophony scares off some bandits.
As for the art, the Bremen book’s figures are blocky and drawn in sweeping strokes of warm, earthy pastels, as if pulled from South American native art.
H&G are gaunt figures, lost in a dark, looming landscape straight out of a graphic novel in a style reminiscent of 1930s comics with an added dash of expressionist gloom, like Popeye or Mutt and Jeff crossed with the Cabinet of Doctor Caligieri.
Rating: *\*\
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