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Hansel & Gretel by Neil Gaiman & Lorenzo Mattotti |
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Paperback Edition (JUST PUBLISHED!)
$11.99 7.2" x 10", 56 pages ISBN: 978-1-66266-504-2 Pub Date: 08/01/2023 Standard Edition
$17.99 7.2" x 10", 56 pages ISBN: 978-1-935179-62-7 Oversized Deluxe Edition
$29.99 LARGE SIZE: 9.125" x 12.625", 60 pages, DIE-CUT COVER with high gloss all around. ISBN: 978-1-935179-65-8 Oversized and Standard Simultaneous Pub Date: 10/28/2014 LEXILE LEVEL: 820
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NEW with the 2023 paperback edition: Personal reflections from Gaiman and Mattotti
About the BookThis all happened a long time ago, in your grandmother's time, or in her grandfather's. A long time ago. Back then, we all lived on the edge of the great forest.
Neil Gaiman and Lorenzo Mattotti both remember the horror and fascination with which they read the Grimm Brothers' "Hansel and Gretel." The writer and the artist now join forces for a brilliant reimagining of one of humanity's most enduring tales. Be brave, be bold, and keep your wits about you--Gaiman and Mattotti are welcoming you into the woods. First published by TOON in 2014 to widespread acclaim, Hansel & Gretel finally arrived in paperback in 2023, complete with all new author and illustrator notes on their history with this haunting work. |
Neil Gaiman on comics and scaring children, with Françoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman
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It's a challenge to be a children's book publisher and want to put out something genuinely haunting in today's climate. We all know children have to be protected from experiencing anything too real. So we filmed Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly with Neil Gaiman at his new house in Woodstock to talk about comics and children and exposing them to fear and dark material in books.
Gaiman says, "I think if you are protected from dark things then you have no protection of, knowledge of, or understanding of dark things when they show up. I think it is really important to show dark things to kids—and in the showing, to also show that dark things can be beaten, that you have power. Tell them you can fight back. Tell them you can win. Because you can, but you have to know that." |
Book Buzz—OVER 75,000 COPIES SOLD!
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
“Astonishes from start to finish...The book itself is a gorgeous and carefully made object...Their rendition brings a freshness and even a feeling of majesty to the little tale."
--THE NEW YORK TIMES - click for full review 
“If this isn’t the definitive edition of 'Hansel and Gretel,' it’s absolutely necessary."
--Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW - click for full review 
“Gaiman makes the story’s horrors feel very real and very human, and Mattotti’s artwork is genuinely chilling."
--Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW - click for full review 
“An elegant, blood-curdling retelling of the centuries-old story."
--Wall Street Journal 
"Pitch-black India ink is used to great effect, creating dark and terrifying landscapes that threaten to envelop the tiny figures of the children....Mattotti’s amazing work will inspire a new generation of readers, and this volume will give chills."
--School Library Journal 
"Mattotti masterfully and subtly uses negative space so each image isn’t immediately noticeable, like the most menacing game of hide-and-seek, and the abrupt oscillation between the clean, white pages of words and the silent, chilling dusky pictures is striking. While this isn’t a graphic novel per se, Gaiman’s fans and lovers of visual storytelling will devour this eerie version of a classic.
--Booklist 
"An old tale told newly, yet through its intended lens --- dark, frightening, and rich with symbolism. This is a story to tell your children, and it is one that serves almost as a rite of passage. It introduces the idea of mistrust, the fear of being left behind and lost, and the ability to reason your way out of bad situations. And in this version, Gaiman and Mattotti give us something new --- imagery and prose that are a perfect match, and take the story to new heights."
--Graphic Novel Reporter - click for full review 
"And what a version Gaiman has delivered—worthy of a spot on anyone’s reading list. It should also be required reading for all children both as a primer to the fairy tale genre and as a paragon text in the art of concise and effective storytelling."
--The Roarbots - Click for Full Review 
"Some books you’re excited about because you like the author and you know what to expect. Others are exciting because you like the author and you have no idea what to expect. That’s the case with this TOON Books version of Hansel & Gretel written by Neil Gaiman."
-- 100 Scope Notes, School Library Journal |
Hansel & Gretel Heading to the Big Screen!
Juliet Blake, who teamed with Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg on “The Hundred-Foot Journey,” is developing a live-action “Hansel and Gretel” movie based on Gaiman's TOON Graphic. “For me, retelling Hansel and Gretel was a way of telling an old tale in a way that made it immediate and true, and about us, now,” Gaiman said. “It reminds us of how paper thin civilization really is. It’s about hunger, and about families.” --Read the full story at Variety.com Neil Gaiman Reads Hansel & Gretel at Carnegie Hall!
"Thousands turned up for Neil Gaiman’s highly anticipated performance at Carnegie Hall on June 27. The evening was touted as a “multimedia storytelling event” and showcased the prolific author’s premiere U.S. reading of The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains and Hansel and Gretel accompanied by visuals and a live score."
-- School Library Journal Feature Story 
“I love Gaiman’s and Mattotti’s Hansel & Gretel. The writing is rich. ("They went so deep into the old forest that the sunlight was stained green by the leaves.") And the art is striking. I have never seen a more chill-inducing rendition of the witch's gingerbread cottage. I swear it looks like there's a skull atop it."
--Julie Danielson, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast |
Hansel & Gretel, Out of the Woods and into the Wild!
When Hansel and Gretel was first released in 2014, TOON readers were quick to document their experience with the tale for us with their Hansel & Gretel selfies! Quick: do you recognize anyone in the pictures below?
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About the Authors
 (Photo by Kimberly Butler.)
NEIL GAIMAN is the bestselling author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio, theatre and films for children and adults alike. His work has received many international awards, including the Newbery and Carnegie Medals, as well as Hugos, two Nebulas, a World Fantasy Award, four Bram Stoker Awards, six Locus Awards, and countless other honors. He is a pillar of modern fantasy, with multiple television and film adaptations of his work, including Good Omens, American Gods, Coraline and Sandman. Neil Gaiman has said that the story of Hansel and Gretel has haunted him since he was five years old!
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LORENZO MATTOTTI
is an Italian comics and graphic artist living in Paris. A frequent contributor of covers for The New Yorker, he's recognized as one of the most outstanding international exponents of comics art. Mattotti won an Eisner Award for his graphic novel Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. He collaborated with Lou Reed in re-imaging Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. |
Teacher GuideOur Hansel and Gretel Teacher Guide outlines the ELA Common Core Standards to support standards-based instruction in the classroom using this TOON Graphic. The lesson plan offers detailed questions for students with page references. This free guide was designed by a team of passionate literacy experts led by Hsin-yu Chao.
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