Two hundred years ago, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, two young German librarians, published Kinder und Hausmärchen (Tales for Children and the Home), a collection of tales that became one of the most influential works of folklore in the world. Neither fairy tales nor addressed to children, their stories speak of witches, ogres, and families facing adversity. 

One of these tales, Hansel and Gretel, is said to have originally come from a woman, Henriette Dorothea Wild. It is the story of a brother and sister living in medieval Germany, abandoned by their parents. Author and illustrator Martin Duthey offers us a reinterpretation: Cancel and Gretel.

Here, the two children leave their family home and their parents’ oppression of their own free will. They find refuge with the witch and build their chosen family, while making delicious sweets to restore her house. But beware — the parents haven’t had their last word yet!

This illustrated book is suitable for both children and adults.