Hensel and Gretel

February 8, 2016
Gomez (What About Moose?) joins the team behind The Three Ninja Pigs and Ninja Red Riding Hood for a fractured fairy tale that delivers more satisfying martial arts mayhem. There’s a moment of reflection as chickens Hensel and Gretel stand before the 3 Pigs Dojo (“Get empowered, not devoured”), but from then on it’s all action as they find their parents have been chicken-napped, bushwhack through the forest, and arrive at a fox’s cottage, made from cornbread. Inside, they find their parents and realize their peril: “ ‘Watch out!’ Papa cried./ ‘You’ll be chicken-pot-pied!’ ” Feathers fly and teeth are bared as the chickens square off against the fox, hurling kitchenware and delivering blows until their parents are freed: “You two Ninja Chicks/ got us out of that fix,/ and justice—not dinner—was served.” Santat serves up an unstoppable barrage of exaggerated angles, action lines, and pop-eyed facial expressions to accompany Schwartz and Gomez’s sturdy limerick-metered verse. It’s almost possible to hear the clang as the wok clocks the fox. Ages 4–8. Authors’ agent: Kendra Marcus, Bookstop Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House.

March 15, 2016
The wolf from the first two of Schwartz and Santat's ninja fairy tales (The Three Ninja Pigs, 2012, etc.) has finally learned to live peacefully--but the fox has yet to learn that lesson. Author and artist, this time joined by Gomez as co-author, take even greater liberties in this raucous retelling of "Hansel and Gretel." After a fox steals their mama from the chicken coop, two chicks attend the 3 Pigs Dojo (right across from Wolf Yoga) to learn ninjutsu. When Hensel and Gretel return to the coop after class one day to find their papa gone too, the chicks track the fox's trail through an ominous wood. The sight of a cornbread cottage distracts Hensel, and she is lured inside by a voice inviting: "My dear, come on in for a bite." Hensel realizes her mistake when she sees Mama and Papa in crates. The rhyming, fast-paced text is packed with one-liners. Green, gold, and orange tones predominate in Santat's distinctive artwork, which features big, bold, wide-eyed characters. Horizontal planes turn into dynamic diagonals when Gretel sneaks in and fights the fox, who knows a few moves of her own. That it's a wok thrown by Mama that brings down the fox gets a bit lost, but that doesn't diminish the unflappable bravery of the two chicks, who go on to fight birdnappers everywhere. Cheep thrills indeed! (Picture book. 5-8)

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May 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 2-After their mother is abducted by a fox, chickens Hensel and Gretel take rescue into their own hands by learning to become ninjas in this rollicking fractured fairy tale. They train at the 3 Pigs Dojo (recognizable to fans of The Three Ninja Pigs), until one evening they return home to find their coop ransacked and Papa gone. Leaving a trail of crumbs, they search the forest until stumbling upon a house made of delicious corn bread. After Hensel is taken in (literally and figuratively) by the fox, Gretel pops down the chimney and the pair leap, kick, and slice their way to justice. Action and movement abound in a fast-paced tale brimming with silliness and humor. Rhyming text never misses a beat, flowing smoothly and incorporating laughs into every line: "You two Ninja Chicks got us out of that fix, and justice-not dinner-was served." Santat's comic-style panels keep momentum going with richly colored mixed-media illustrations and showcase two hilariously expressive kick-butt heroines. No helpless, victimized protagonists here-only empowered poultry, ready to make it their mission to "rescue, protect, and defend."

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2016
Grades K-2 The classic fairy tale gets a fowl-focused, martial-arts makeover in this jaunty picture book. Hensel (She's a chicken. Get it?) and Gretel's parents are all aflutter thanks to news of a wolf in their village. The brave young chicks take it upon themselves to master ninjutsu at the dojo, and it's going to come in handy. They return home to find their parents missing and a trail of fox prints leading toward the forest, where they come upon a house made of cornbread. Hensel digs in, and, naturally, she gets added to the fox's menu. Gretel, meanwhile, sneaks around the kerneled roof and stealthily drops in just in time to save her sister and parents. Schwartz and Gomez's lively limericks tell the story in a swift, kicky rhythm, while Santat's dynamic, warm-toned, and action-filled illustrations throw a nice nod to kung-fu movies. With a twist on the usual endingthe chicken family goes on to sneakily protect feathered friends with their ninja movesthis will especially delight little ones familiar with the original tale.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)