School Project – Book Hans & Grietje

For a school project I rewrote and modernized the story of Hans and Grietje (Hansel and Gretel). In the rewritten story Hans and Grietje both suffer from an eating disorder: obesitas and anorexia. The children are – with great regret from their father – left in the woods by their evil stepmother, because the family was to poor to feed them. The first time Hans and Grietje find their way back home, but the second time they get lost. Since they’re walking for days through the woods, Hans and Grietje are both exhausted and starving. Eventually they arrive at a little house, made from hamburgers and fries. Hungry as they are, they start eating. Then a clown – Ronald McDonald – appears. At first he seems nice, but later he captures Hans and wants to fry him up and eat him. But Grietje tricks the clown and the children set him on fire. In the end Hans and Grietje arrive back home with their father, happily ever after.

The book is designed like a McDonald’s Happy Meal: appealing on the outside, but disgusting on the inside, just like the candy house from the evil witch in the original story.

Some illustrations I used in the book: