Hansel and Gretel Facts for Kids

Illustration by Arthur Rackham, 1909

Hansel and Gretel (German: Hänsel und Grethel) is a famous fairy tale that comes from Germany. The story was collected by the well-known Brothers Grimm. They first heard it from Dortchen Wild in Cassel and included it in their book Children's and Household Tales in 1812.

Over the years, the Brothers Grimm made some changes to the story. They gave the children their names, Hansel and Gretel. They also changed the mother character to a stepmother. The final version of the tale was published in 1857. This classic story has been made into many different things, like the famous opera Hänsel und Gretel (1893) by Engelbert Humperdinck. There was even a stop-motion animated movie based on the opera made in the 1950s.

Plot
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Plot

The story of Hansel and Gretel takes place in medieval Germany. Hansel and Gretel are the young children of a very poor woodcutter. One day, a terrible famine (a time when there is not enough food) hits the land. The woodcutter's second wife tells him to take the children deep into the woods. She wants him to leave them there so they can find their own way. This way, she believes, she and her husband will not run out of food.

The Journey Begins

The woodcutter does not want to leave his children. But his wife insists, saying that maybe someone else will find them and take care of them. She claims they simply cannot feed them anymore. The woodcutter sadly agrees to her plan. What they do not know is that Hansel and Gretel have heard everything from their bedroom.

After their parents go to sleep, Hansel quietly sneaks out of the house. He gathers as many white pebbles as he can find. He then returns to his room and tells Gretel not to worry, saying that God will help them.

The next morning, the family walks deep into the woods. As they go, Hansel secretly drops a trail of white pebbles. After their parents leave them alone, the children wait for the moon to come out. Then, they follow the shining pebbles all the way back home. They arrive safely, which makes their stepmother very angry.

Lost in the Woods

Soon, food becomes scarce again. The stepmother angrily orders her husband to take the children even deeper into the woods this time. Hansel and Gretel try to gather more pebbles, but they find the front door locked.

Illustration by Ludwig Richter, 1842

The next morning, the family walks into the woods again. Hansel takes a slice of bread and leaves a trail of bread crumbs behind them. He hopes they can follow the crumbs to find their way home. However, after they are left alone once more, they discover that birds have eaten all the crumbs. Hansel and Gretel are now truly lost in the huge woods.

After wandering for many days, they follow a dove to a clearing. There, they discover a house made of gingerbread. The children are very hungry and tired, so they start to eat parts of the house. Suddenly, the door opens. An old woman comes out and invites the children inside. She promises them soft beds and delicious food. Hansel and Gretel go in, not knowing that the hostess is a witch. She built the gingerbread house to trick children, so she could cook and eat them.

Outsmarting the Witch

The next morning, the witch locks Hansel in an iron cage in the garden. She forces Gretel to become her slave. The witch feeds Hansel a lot of food to make him fat. But she gives Gretel only crab shells to eat. The witch often tries to touch Hansel's finger to see how plump he has become. However, Hansel is clever. He offers her a thin bone he found in the cage instead. The witch's eyes are too weak to notice the trick. She is fooled into thinking Hansel is still too thin to eat.

After several weeks, the witch grows impatient. She decides to eat Hansel anyway. She prepares the oven for Hansel. But then she decides she is hungry enough to eat Gretel too. She tells Gretel to lean over the open oven to check if the fire is hot enough. Gretel senses the witch's evil plan. She pretends she does not understand what the witch means. The witch gets very angry and shows Gretel how to do it. As the witch leans over, Gretel quickly shoves her into the hot oven. She then slams and bolts the door shut, killing the witch.

Finding Their Way Home

Gretel frees Hansel from the cage. The two children then find a vase filled with treasure. It includes many precious stones. They put the jewels into their clothes and start their journey home. A white duck (or a swan in some versions) helps them cross a wide stretch of water.

When they finally arrive home, they find only their father. His wife had died from an unknown reason. Their father had spent all his days missing his children. He is overjoyed to see them safe and sound. With the witch's wealth, Hansel, Gretel, and their father live happily ever after.