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Hansel y Gretel
La terrorífica historia de dos valientes pequeños perdidos en un bosque enorme, sombrío y repleto de peligros que esperan devorarlos, reimaginada por los legendarios Stephen King y Maurice Sendak.
Permitid que el señor King, galardonado autor de best sellers, y el señor Sendak, merecedor del premio Caldecott por Donde viven los monstruos, os acompañen en esta deliciosa y atrevida versión de la clásica historia de los hermanos Grimm.
Adentraos en este bosque aterrador… ¿Encontraréis el camino de salida?
Permitid que el señor King, galardonado autor de best sellers, y el señor Sendak, merecedor del premio Caldecott por Donde viven los monstruos, os acompañen en esta deliciosa y atrevida versión de la clásica historia de los hermanos Grimm.
Adentraos en este bosque aterrador… ¿Encontraréis el camino de salida?
48 pages, Hardcover
First published September 2, 2025
68 people are currently reading
6138 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,574 books886k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 524 reviews
October 2, 2025
This is a retelling of the timeless classic fairy tale with a few chilling Kingesque embellishments.
Want to read
September 3, 2025Got my copy one day after publication date!
"Hänsel and Gretel" isn't a favourite tale of mine, but it's one of those that happen to catch the eye of writers I like (and some famous authors I don't), so it's not rare that it gets great retellings with some frequency. The theme of siblings surviving in a world of abuse, neglect, and horror (plus cannibalism) relying only on each other is hard to resist, especially for the likes of good ol' Stephen King. Heh.
Will he do a better job than Neil Gaiman did with this tale? I sure hope so! Because it's him and Maurice Sendak that brought me to this book. Appears to be more of a picture book rendition than a mainstream retelling, but it suits me fine anyway. I've never picked up a fairy tale-based book by Stephen King, even though I've liked the (few, I hasten to say) books of his I've read, but I do have a good guess or two as to how he'd proceed, and that has me intrigued.
So intrigued that my copy of Hänsel and Gretel arrived in good company: I also got Fairy Tale. Why? Because!
Incidentally, my sister teases me because I tend to describe cute lil' houseys (think English cottages or Bavarian houses or American white-picket-fence New England houses) as "cake houses." I had never thought of it much, but now I'm realising the reason I use this description so much is "Hänsel and Gretel." I never read the tale as a child, but my mum had a large assortment of fairy tales memorised that she told me at bedtime (voice acting included) and this one was amongst them.
Yeah, my vocabulary is permanently ruined by fairy tale lingo, I guess...
"Hänsel and Gretel" isn't a favourite tale of mine, but it's one of those that happen to catch the eye of writers I like (and some famous authors I don't), so it's not rare that it gets great retellings with some frequency. The theme of siblings surviving in a world of abuse, neglect, and horror (plus cannibalism) relying only on each other is hard to resist, especially for the likes of good ol' Stephen King. Heh.
Will he do a better job than Neil Gaiman did with this tale? I sure hope so! Because it's him and Maurice Sendak that brought me to this book. Appears to be more of a picture book rendition than a mainstream retelling, but it suits me fine anyway. I've never picked up a fairy tale-based book by Stephen King, even though I've liked the (few, I hasten to say) books of his I've read, but I do have a good guess or two as to how he'd proceed, and that has me intrigued.
So intrigued that my copy of Hänsel and Gretel arrived in good company: I also got Fairy Tale. Why? Because!
Incidentally, my sister teases me because I tend to describe cute lil' houseys (think English cottages or Bavarian houses or American white-picket-fence New England houses) as "cake houses." I had never thought of it much, but now I'm realising the reason I use this description so much is "Hänsel and Gretel." I never read the tale as a child, but my mum had a large assortment of fairy tales memorised that she told me at bedtime (voice acting included) and this one was amongst them.
Yeah, my vocabulary is permanently ruined by fairy tale lingo, I guess...
September 10, 2025
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2
It’s wild that a children’s story can contain so much lying, betrayal, parental abuse, and murder and still be so universally adored. It’s almost like childhood trauma is real and these type of stories help us transmute that pain into something that feels less horrifying.
This gorgeous rendition of the timeless tale is an incredible work of art. Dark Tower fans will love the callback and fans of beloved fairy tales will rejoice in its inventive reimagining.
This book gave me everything I was looking for and then some. Carve out 30 minutes to read it, and then stow it on your shelf as a beautiful reminder of a bygone time…
It’s wild that a children’s story can contain so much lying, betrayal, parental abuse, and murder and still be so universally adored. It’s almost like childhood trauma is real and these type of stories help us transmute that pain into something that feels less horrifying.
This gorgeous rendition of the timeless tale is an incredible work of art. Dark Tower fans will love the callback and fans of beloved fairy tales will rejoice in its inventive reimagining.
This book gave me everything I was looking for and then some. Carve out 30 minutes to read it, and then stow it on your shelf as a beautiful reminder of a bygone time…
September 12, 2025
Narrated by the man himself, this was a nice little surprise revisit to the iconic Hansel and Gretel we all read as kids. The story was pretty much as I remembered it, though the witch came across a bit nastier than I recalled. King did a great job with the narration, making it an enjoyable listen.
September 3, 2025
A wonderful retelling of the classic fairy tale! I loved sharing this story with my son and he was captivated by it too! The illustrations by Maurice Sendak were lovely, a beautiful edition.
October 4, 2025
Well, perhaps I am being a bit too critical regarding the September 2025 picture book Hansel and Gretel (with a newly retold text by Stephen King and illustrations by the late Maurice Sendak). But no, I personally (indeed my inner child as well as adult I) have not really enjoyed how King reframes and features Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm's folktale of Hänsel und Gretel all that much. Sure, Stephen King generally keeps to the general contents of Hänsel und Gretel (which I do appreciate as I was kind of worried that his text would be much too creepy and also much too different from the original story), but those reviewers who claim that what King textually presents in Hansel and Gretel is delightfully and splendidly spine-chilling and is also supposedly considerably more uncanny and horrifying than what is recounted by the Brothers Grimm, sorry, but I do hugely beg to majorly differ here.
For one, if Stephen King really wants to make his Hansel and Gretel truly uncomfortable and dreadful, he should be using the 1812 and not the 1857 version of Hänsel und Gretel and have an evil biological mother and not an evil stepmother. Furthermore, why does King in Hansel and Gretel allow the stepmother to in fact survive and just be sent away by the children's father, when Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm actually kill her off (and I was kind of expecting and hoping that the stepmother's death would be depicted in gruesome detail in Hansel and Gretel, how in my humble opinion, the ending of Hansel and Gretel and even Rhea the witch being baked to death by Gretel is pretty standardly folkloric and is certainly not in any way majorly creepy and as such equally not akin to Stephen King's general horror writing). And for two, albeit both the witch and the evil stepmother are textually expanded on a wee bit in Hansel and Gretel, the stepmother being greedy and hiding food while at the same time claiming that there is not enough around and that Hansel and Gretel must thus be abandoned in the forest and that Rhea is described by King as motherly and helpful on the outside but a depraved, ugly and terrifying witch and monstrosity on the inside (when she basically takes off her disguise), sorry, but there is at least for me not enough narrative meat so to speak present and that what Stephen King has added to make Hansel and Gretel creepier for me does not really succeed all that well (and that I for one also hugely prefer what Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm originally penned in German, that their Hänsel und Gretel is both more readable and also more engaging than Hansel and Gretel, that King's retelling is alright but rather blah and annoyingly tedious for me).
And finally, while I really do enjoy Maurice Sendak's artwork as it appears in Hansel and Gretel in and of itself, considering that Sendak's illustrations were originally done for Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel opera (where Adelheid Wette's libretto is based on Hänsel und Gretel but also has many differences, such as for example an evil witch who flies around on her broomstick, kidnaps children and turns them into gingerbread people, that Hansel and Gretel's mother does not abandon her children in the forest and is searching for them with her husband and that when the witch is baked, the enchanted gingerbread children are also released), many of Sendak's illustrations do tend to work (at least for me) much better and much more successfully with Humperdinck's opera and feel kind of visually disconnected to what Stephen King is narrationally, is textually presenting in Hansel and Gretel (and indeed, that this disconnection, combined with me not enjoying King's text for Hansel and Gretel all that much if at all, yes, this also means that my rating for Hansel and Gretel can and will only be two stars, and that I am indeed quite majorly disappointed).
For one, if Stephen King really wants to make his Hansel and Gretel truly uncomfortable and dreadful, he should be using the 1812 and not the 1857 version of Hänsel und Gretel and have an evil biological mother and not an evil stepmother. Furthermore, why does King in Hansel and Gretel allow the stepmother to in fact survive and just be sent away by the children's father, when Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm actually kill her off (and I was kind of expecting and hoping that the stepmother's death would be depicted in gruesome detail in Hansel and Gretel, how in my humble opinion, the ending of Hansel and Gretel and even Rhea the witch being baked to death by Gretel is pretty standardly folkloric and is certainly not in any way majorly creepy and as such equally not akin to Stephen King's general horror writing). And for two, albeit both the witch and the evil stepmother are textually expanded on a wee bit in Hansel and Gretel, the stepmother being greedy and hiding food while at the same time claiming that there is not enough around and that Hansel and Gretel must thus be abandoned in the forest and that Rhea is described by King as motherly and helpful on the outside but a depraved, ugly and terrifying witch and monstrosity on the inside (when she basically takes off her disguise), sorry, but there is at least for me not enough narrative meat so to speak present and that what Stephen King has added to make Hansel and Gretel creepier for me does not really succeed all that well (and that I for one also hugely prefer what Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm originally penned in German, that their Hänsel und Gretel is both more readable and also more engaging than Hansel and Gretel, that King's retelling is alright but rather blah and annoyingly tedious for me).
And finally, while I really do enjoy Maurice Sendak's artwork as it appears in Hansel and Gretel in and of itself, considering that Sendak's illustrations were originally done for Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel opera (where Adelheid Wette's libretto is based on Hänsel und Gretel but also has many differences, such as for example an evil witch who flies around on her broomstick, kidnaps children and turns them into gingerbread people, that Hansel and Gretel's mother does not abandon her children in the forest and is searching for them with her husband and that when the witch is baked, the enchanted gingerbread children are also released), many of Sendak's illustrations do tend to work (at least for me) much better and much more successfully with Humperdinck's opera and feel kind of visually disconnected to what Stephen King is narrationally, is textually presenting in Hansel and Gretel (and indeed, that this disconnection, combined with me not enjoying King's text for Hansel and Gretel all that much if at all, yes, this also means that my rating for Hansel and Gretel can and will only be two stars, and that I am indeed quite majorly disappointed).
November 26, 2025
Reinterpretación un poco más oscura de este gran clásico por parte de mi escritor favorito. Aunque reconozco que esperaba más.
Es un cuento que siempre me ha gustado en sus diferentes versiones y por supuesto desde que supe que King iba a intervenir en el no lo dudé a la hora de comprarlo para leerlo con las niñas.
🖤 Una mirada más siniestra, aunque tengo que reconocer que me esperaba algún giro macabro, y con el plus de esas ilustraciones tan acertadas que te hacen sentir que estás leyendo un libro antiguo.
https://www.facebook.com/LaLocadelosL... 🖤📖✨
Es un cuento que siempre me ha gustado en sus diferentes versiones y por supuesto desde que supe que King iba a intervenir en el no lo dudé a la hora de comprarlo para leerlo con las niñas.
🖤 Una mirada más siniestra, aunque tengo que reconocer que me esperaba algún giro macabro, y con el plus de esas ilustraciones tan acertadas que te hacen sentir que estás leyendo un libro antiguo.
https://www.facebook.com/LaLocadelosL... 🖤📖✨
October 7, 2025
Wow! Stephen King and Maurice Sendak!
I am absolutely giddy for my childhood self. RAWR!
September 2.
I have just tightened up my budget again and I must not pre-order this book! I did make a notification setting at my library though... Ohhh.... my want for this one is strong.
Audiobook (30 minutes) narrated by the author Stephen King
Publisher: HarperCollins
Flawless narration and audio.
Excellent retelling of Hansel and Gretel.
I was very happy with the audio book.
I am planning on getting the hardcover. I held back as I had heard that the quality of the larger illustrations was blurry due to the reproduction of Sendak's images being done through low quality digital photography. Some of the reviews that I had read had theorized about a reprint and stated that the images were blown up too large for the quality and that the smaller images were much sharper.
If this is a done deal, I may just get it anyway, just to have it, but it is disappointing that the reproductions of Sendak's images aren't better.
The story is excellent. King signed on to re-writing Hansel and Gretel to fit in with the images that Sendak had previously drawn for a theater production. The collab is really exciting and I am thrilled that it happened. After experiencing the audiobook, I look forward to experiencing the full collab, with the illustrations in front of me.
I am absolutely giddy for my childhood self. RAWR!
September 2.
I have just tightened up my budget again and I must not pre-order this book! I did make a notification setting at my library though... Ohhh.... my want for this one is strong.
Audiobook (30 minutes) narrated by the author Stephen King
Publisher: HarperCollins
Flawless narration and audio.
Excellent retelling of Hansel and Gretel.
I was very happy with the audio book.
I am planning on getting the hardcover. I held back as I had heard that the quality of the larger illustrations was blurry due to the reproduction of Sendak's images being done through low quality digital photography. Some of the reviews that I had read had theorized about a reprint and stated that the images were blown up too large for the quality and that the smaller images were much sharper.
If this is a done deal, I may just get it anyway, just to have it, but it is disappointing that the reproductions of Sendak's images aren't better.
The story is excellent. King signed on to re-writing Hansel and Gretel to fit in with the images that Sendak had previously drawn for a theater production. The collab is really exciting and I am thrilled that it happened. After experiencing the audiobook, I look forward to experiencing the full collab, with the illustrations in front of me.
September 19, 2025
Two masters in their respective genres. Stephen King and Maurice Sendak. Despite the fact that Sendak died in 2012, the Maurice Sendak Foundation agreed to King's "re-telling" of the original Grimm fairy tale, with original drawings Sendak drew for a 1997 adaptation.
The result is "Hansel and Gretel", a new children's classic. As King intimates in a beautiful foreword, this book should, at the very least, resurrect an interest (that never really died) in Sendak's picture-book classics such as "Where the Wild Things Are" and "In the Night Kitchen".
The result is "Hansel and Gretel", a new children's classic. As King intimates in a beautiful foreword, this book should, at the very least, resurrect an interest (that never really died) in Sendak's picture-book classics such as "Where the Wild Things Are" and "In the Night Kitchen".
October 2, 2025
So I’ve come to realize something about myself, that even though Hansel and Greek is one of my favorite dark classics, I’ve never actually read any tellings of it and once I realized that I was flabbergasted, so I thought why not kick off spooky season not only starting a telling of this series but also getting it from two masters of the literary dark. While I must note the shortness of this story and the sad fact that we don’t get nearly enough witch or lost children energy, I adored kings take on the new stepmother because we always knew she was a B, and the gingerbread house itself was far more surreal and felt like the true monster itself which stuck with me. I feel like even though I read through this twice already, I’m bound to go through it at least one or two more times. Sendak’s art is always an eerie treat and I now know I have to find more retelling of this story because this lured me in but only gave a taste of what I really wanted. Still I think it’s a more than fine read and worth anyone’s time and I feel like when my son gets a little older that he’ll get a kick out of it too and who knows maybe it’ll start him down his own King journey. 4.25/5
December 5, 2025
Meh 🤷🏽♀️
Didn’t really like the narrator.
Didn’t really like the narrator.
November 3, 2025
Too short.
December 15, 2025
5⭐️ I bought this for my new granddaughter! What a fabulous reimagining of the Grimm classic fairy tale.
The Maurice Sendak illustrations are fabulous, dark, scary, and light and hopeful! There is a great forward written by Stephen King.
This will make a beautiful edition to any child’s library and adults will appreciate the gorgeous work of Maurice Sendak and King’s take on the timeless tale we all love!
The Maurice Sendak illustrations are fabulous, dark, scary, and light and hopeful! There is a great forward written by Stephen King.
This will make a beautiful edition to any child’s library and adults will appreciate the gorgeous work of Maurice Sendak and King’s take on the timeless tale we all love!
October 19, 2025
This rating is for the edition retold by Stephen King and illustrated by Maurice Sendak.
Overall, this Grimm retelling is adequate. I am a fan of both King and Sendak, but sadly this publication feels like an exploitive cash grab by HarperCollins to profit from both celebrated creator’s work. Sendak passed away in 2012 and King’s adapted prose to align with the unpublished artwork of Sendak felt respectful to both the original Grimm text and to the late artist’s vision. It’s Harper Collin’s printing of Sendak’s illustrations that really rubbed me the wrong way. The lack of care shown in the low quality digital photography of the illustrations is what ultimately convinced me that this was not a project of love, but one made for profit. Disappointing.
Overall, this Grimm retelling is adequate. I am a fan of both King and Sendak, but sadly this publication feels like an exploitive cash grab by HarperCollins to profit from both celebrated creator’s work. Sendak passed away in 2012 and King’s adapted prose to align with the unpublished artwork of Sendak felt respectful to both the original Grimm text and to the late artist’s vision. It’s Harper Collin’s printing of Sendak’s illustrations that really rubbed me the wrong way. The lack of care shown in the low quality digital photography of the illustrations is what ultimately convinced me that this was not a project of love, but one made for profit. Disappointing.
September 5, 2025
What!? My favorite author taking on my favorite childhood fairy tale?! Quietly fangirling in the bookstore over this one. The illustrations are a perfect throwback to the creepy, haunting children’s books of my childhood—beautifully unsettling in the best way. Kudos to the artist for capturing that nostalgic, old-school vibe.
November 15, 2025
Seit ich Das Mädchen gelesen habe, dieser Geschichte über eben ein kleines Mädchen, das allein durch einen unheimlichen Wald irrt, bin ich mir sicher, dass Stephen King Grimms Märchen sehr gut kennt.
Nun fiel mir dieses Buch in die Hände, das wenige eine Übersetzung ins Englische, als eine Adaption des Märchens ist – das kann man verwerflich finden, weil man mit dem Original aufgewachsen ist, oder spannend, weil so andere Akzente herausgekitzelt werden.
Tatsächlich fand ich den Text nur mittelprächtig spannend, hatte aber dennoch meine Freude, denn die Zusammenarbeit mit Maurice Sendak (ihr wisst schon, Wo die wilden Kerle wohnen) als Illustrator, macht dann doch einige Freude. Und ich fand schön, dass King im (zu) kurzen Vorwort beschreibt, welche Sendak-Bücher, seine Frau und er ihren Kindern vorlasen.
Und Fairy Tale kommt dann mal auf die To-Read-Liste.
Nun fiel mir dieses Buch in die Hände, das wenige eine Übersetzung ins Englische, als eine Adaption des Märchens ist – das kann man verwerflich finden, weil man mit dem Original aufgewachsen ist, oder spannend, weil so andere Akzente herausgekitzelt werden.
Tatsächlich fand ich den Text nur mittelprächtig spannend, hatte aber dennoch meine Freude, denn die Zusammenarbeit mit Maurice Sendak (ihr wisst schon, Wo die wilden Kerle wohnen) als Illustrator, macht dann doch einige Freude. Und ich fand schön, dass King im (zu) kurzen Vorwort beschreibt, welche Sendak-Bücher, seine Frau und er ihren Kindern vorlasen.
Und Fairy Tale kommt dann mal auf die To-Read-Liste.
October 31, 2025
Hermoso 🤩
September 3, 2025
A fun retelling of a classic, with some hella disturbing illustrations to go with it.
I will say, it’s clear that King is no children’s author. Not because it’s too scary - although I don’t think I’ll be reading this to my kids for a while yet - but more because the prose doesn’t haven’t that sparkle that the best kids’ books do. Also, there’s a continuity error when it comes to Hansel having pockets or not that bugged me way more than I thought it would have!
However, you can feel the joy King had here, and it reads like a grandad trying to creep out, but ultimately delight, his grandkids on an autumnal evening. That brings with it a lot of charm and makes it an enjoyable tale.
So, why such a high rating? Well, it isn’t just because I’m such a King nerd. No, two aspects boost the ratings here…
First is King’s intro. I increasingly love his introductions and forewords, and this one is great. We learn about how he and his wife Tabitha would read Maurice Sendak books to their kids, he explains what properly drew him to this project, and - in typical King self-deprecating style - we see him refer to his contribution here as a ‘poor effort at breathing a bit of life into an old story’. It made me laugh and hooked me in.
The second aspect, which I won’t reveal fully for spoilers, is…wait until you see the name of the witch! If you’re a Constant Reader you will likely gasp the same as me!
I will say, it’s clear that King is no children’s author. Not because it’s too scary - although I don’t think I’ll be reading this to my kids for a while yet - but more because the prose doesn’t haven’t that sparkle that the best kids’ books do. Also, there’s a continuity error when it comes to Hansel having pockets or not that bugged me way more than I thought it would have!
However, you can feel the joy King had here, and it reads like a grandad trying to creep out, but ultimately delight, his grandkids on an autumnal evening. That brings with it a lot of charm and makes it an enjoyable tale.
So, why such a high rating? Well, it isn’t just because I’m such a King nerd. No, two aspects boost the ratings here…
First is King’s intro. I increasingly love his introductions and forewords, and this one is great. We learn about how he and his wife Tabitha would read Maurice Sendak books to their kids, he explains what properly drew him to this project, and - in typical King self-deprecating style - we see him refer to his contribution here as a ‘poor effort at breathing a bit of life into an old story’. It made me laugh and hooked me in.
The second aspect, which I won’t reveal fully for spoilers, is…wait until you see the name of the witch! If you’re a Constant Reader you will likely gasp the same as me!
September 3, 2025
This is surely a tale everyone knows, but with a slightly different spin on it thanks to King's writing.
Not too much was changed, but the writing is typical King; the demise of the wicked witch is written with his usual flair. One can sense straight from the page how much he enjoyed this project.
The best part though, is Maurice Sendak's wonderful illustrations. Some of them, particularly of the children sleeping in the woods reminded me vividly of a book of fairytales I had as a child.
This was a highly anticipated read and it didn't disappoint. Pure nostalgia written by my favourite author.
Not too much was changed, but the writing is typical King; the demise of the wicked witch is written with his usual flair. One can sense straight from the page how much he enjoyed this project.
The best part though, is Maurice Sendak's wonderful illustrations. Some of them, particularly of the children sleeping in the woods reminded me vividly of a book of fairytales I had as a child.
This was a highly anticipated read and it didn't disappoint. Pure nostalgia written by my favourite author.
October 5, 2025
Stephen King spins a new version of Hansel and Gretel inspired by some old art Maurice Sendak left lying around. King keeps a lot of the familiar beats but includes a minor character from his Dark Tower series to make it a more essential tale for his hard-core fans.
It's in picture book format, but it's probably too wordy and eerie for younger tots, even around Halloween.
It's in picture book format, but it's probably too wordy and eerie for younger tots, even around Halloween.
September 22, 2025
A decent reimagining of the classic Grimm Brothers' fairy tale, though nowhere near as dark as the earliest version from 1812. The illustrations by the late Maurice Sendak are great, and I particularly liked how King tied the story to The Dark Tower series.
Fun for us Stephen King completists (oh, and kids, I guess), but not really sure who else I would recommend this to. 3.25 stars.
Fun for us Stephen King completists (oh, and kids, I guess), but not really sure who else I would recommend this to. 3.25 stars.
November 25, 2025
Que sorpresa el nombre de la bruja 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
September 3, 2025
This is such a gorgeous little book. I loved the writing, I loved the illustrations, and I loved the ending.
I am beyond happy to add this to my collection.
I am beyond happy to add this to my collection.
September 10, 2025
A really lovely book. King’s retelling doesn’t break any new ground but it’s the perfect accompaniment to Sendak’s gorgeous illustrations.
December 11, 2025
Post-read:
Eh. 'Twas fine. The good spots balance out the clumsy. Having a book of very high-resolution Sendak scans is likely worth it on its own.
Objections:
- What the heck is a jelly roll-up, Steve
- If I never have to read/hear the word "kiddo" again, it will be too soon
- "Peered nearsightedly?" Steve, come on...
Pre-release:
"Sendak’s illustrations were originally created as set and costume designs for the Humperdinck opera of Hansel and Gretel in 1997."
I see. And am hopeful. Maybe it's appropriate that this feels like grave-robbing and zombification? Though apparently it was the 'Sendak Foundation' who were the ones that approached King. And only a fool would turn that down.
"In his lifetime Maurice Sendak advocated for the welfare of children and animals. We partner with institutions that align with these values."
Sounds good to me. Maybe I need to dial back the cynicism.
This will, no matter what else, make a dillion dollars. I just truly, truly hope that it has some real spark to it. 🤞
Eh. 'Twas fine. The good spots balance out the clumsy. Having a book of very high-resolution Sendak scans is likely worth it on its own.
Objections:
- What the heck is a jelly roll-up, Steve
- If I never have to read/hear the word "kiddo" again, it will be too soon
- "Peered nearsightedly?" Steve, come on...
Pre-release:
"Sendak’s illustrations were originally created as set and costume designs for the Humperdinck opera of Hansel and Gretel in 1997."
I see. And am hopeful. Maybe it's appropriate that this feels like grave-robbing and zombification? Though apparently it was the 'Sendak Foundation' who were the ones that approached King. And only a fool would turn that down.
"In his lifetime Maurice Sendak advocated for the welfare of children and animals. We partner with institutions that align with these values."
Sounds good to me. Maybe I need to dial back the cynicism.
This will, no matter what else, make a dillion dollars. I just truly, truly hope that it has some real spark to it. 🤞
Read
November 28, 2025Піддавшись маркетингу навіщось купила і я. Добре, що ще є діти (не мої), яким можна передати. Несподівано дуже сподобалось чоловікові, щось нагадало з його дитинства.
December 20, 2025
(MY 10TH FAVORITE BOOK OF 2025)
Being a big fan of King and of the late Maurice Sendak, this retelling of the fairy tale we’ve all heard of when we were little kids is a breathtaking and even creepy one.
It’s definitely King who plays a more bigger part as the story is written more longer like a short short or novella. There’s also a more grimmer and stern tone found yet it still has a quaint fantasy feel, while giving his own subtle nods.
Sendak’s illustrations still have that warm whimsical feel while some of them are also pretty eerie. A bit lesser art than I was really hoping for while looking kinda zoomed in, yet still magnificent.
It’s a marvelous and enthralling picture book for those who want to revisit the classic tale, while more suitable for older children as it is a darker version. A (100%/Outstanding)
Being a big fan of King and of the late Maurice Sendak, this retelling of the fairy tale we’ve all heard of when we were little kids is a breathtaking and even creepy one.
It’s definitely King who plays a more bigger part as the story is written more longer like a short short or novella. There’s also a more grimmer and stern tone found yet it still has a quaint fantasy feel, while giving his own subtle nods.
Sendak’s illustrations still have that warm whimsical feel while some of them are also pretty eerie. A bit lesser art than I was really hoping for while looking kinda zoomed in, yet still magnificent.
It’s a marvelous and enthralling picture book for those who want to revisit the classic tale, while more suitable for older children as it is a darker version. A (100%/Outstanding)
September 24, 2025
I dont know what I expected
I knew its going to be a children's book
but its Stephen King so of course i had to get it
I expected a bit of darkness - and bit of King twist - even for a children tale
but its literally the same story I grew up on
3 stars for the cool art
I think King was used as a marketing tool
I knew its going to be a children's book
but its Stephen King so of course i had to get it
I expected a bit of darkness - and bit of King twist - even for a children tale
but its literally the same story I grew up on
3 stars for the cool art
I think King was used as a marketing tool
September 13, 2025
I listened to the audio narrated by Stephen, and I couldn't tell the difference between the original and his retelling.
Read
October 21, 2025No és un àlbum il·lustrat a l'ús (són unes il·lustracions que havien de ser una escenografia d'una òpera) i trobo que el format i mida que tenen, fan que es vegin excessivament ampliada i em grinyoli una mica veure el traç. Però Sendak és Sendak i King és King i no hi havia dues persones millors per agafar un dels contes tradicionals més coneguts i representar-los amb la cruor i la intesitat que la història original desprèn
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