Hansel and Gretel

Hansel and Gretel, a German fairy tale, retold by Catherine Follett, illustrated by Laetitia Rubeni. Focus question. What do you learn about Hansel's and Gretel's characters from what they say and do in the story?

《亨塞尔与格蕾特尔》是一则德国童话，由凯瑟琳·福莱特重述，莱蒂西亚·鲁贝尼绘图。 思考问题： 你从亨塞尔和格蕾特尔在故事中的言行，看出他们是什么样的性格呢？

After three years of failed crops, Hansel and Gretel's family had no food left but some moldy potatoes. Their father grew weak, and their stepmother grew thin and sharp. Gretel was so young that she did not even remember the good times. One morning, father called the children, Come with me for a walk in the woods, he said. Gretel happily followed, but Hansel caught a glimpse of his stepmother's face watching from the window. He got a very bad feeling.

庄稼连续三年歉收，亨塞尔和格蕾特尔一家除了几个发霉的土豆，再也没有别的食物了。 爸爸日渐虚弱，继母变得尖酸刻薄。 格蕾特尔年纪太小，早就记不起从前的好日子是什么样了。 一天早上，爸爸叫来孩子们：「跟我去森林里走走吧。」他说。 格蕾特尔开心地跟了上去，亨塞尔却瞥见继母正站在窗边盯着他们。 他心里升起一股非常不好的预感。

Where are we going?" Hansel asked as Father led them deeper into the forest. Shush! said Father, secretly squeezing a small crust of bread into Hansel's hand. This is our last bit of bread, he whispered. Hansel wanted to gobble it down, But he could feel that something was wrong. Though his mouth watered, he decided to tear the bread into crumbs and drop them as he walked. He marked a path as the three headed deeper into the forest.

「我们要去哪儿呀？」 爸爸领着他们往森林深处走，亨塞尔开口问道。 「嘘！」爸爸说，偷偷把一小块面包皮塞进亨塞尔手里。 「这是我们最后一点面包了。」他低声说。 亨塞尔恨不得一口把它吞掉，可他察觉到事情不对劲。 尽管口水都流出来了，他还是决定把面包掰成碎渣，一边走一边撒。 三人往森林深处走的时候，他靠面包屑标出了一条路。

Finally, Father stopped, his voice shaking. We don't have enough to feed you anymore, he said. There's a village not far away where you can go. With that, he vanished between the trees. Gretel cried out and chased him, but soon fell behind. Look, I made a path, Hansel said, pointing to the breadcrumbs. His sisters sniffled bravely as they turned toward home.

终于，爸爸停了下来，声音不住发抖。 「我们没有足够的食物养你们了。」他说。 「不远处就有一个村庄，你们可以去那里。」 说完，他就消失在了树林里。 格蕾特尔哭着追上去，可很快就落在了后面。 「你看，我做了记号。」亨塞尔指着面包屑说。 妹妹抽着鼻子，勇敢地跟着他转身往家走。

You didn't make a very good path, Gretel pouted. Hansel thought he'd dropped enough crumbs, but he kept losing the way. Then he saw a sparrow swoop down, grab a crumb, and fly off. They could not find the path. Birds ate your crumbs, we're lost, Gretel cried. Hansel tried to stay calm, but the forest was growing gloomy. Let's try to find that village, he said. They walked for a long time. Hansel was almost sure father had lied to them, when suddenly he spotted a clearing ahead.

「你做的记号一点都不好用。」格蕾特尔噘着嘴说。 亨塞尔本来觉得自己撒了足够多的面包屑，可还是一直找不到路。 这时他看见一只麻雀猛扑下来，叼走一块面包屑飞走了。 他们完全找不到回家的路了。 「鸟儿把你的面包屑都吃了，我们迷路了！」格蕾特尔哭道。 亨塞尔努力保持冷静，可森林里越来越阴暗了。 「我们去试试找找那个村庄吧。」他说。 他们走了很长很长时间。 亨塞尔几乎确定爸爸骗了他们，这时他突然看见前方有一片空地。

In a meadow was the most remarkable thing, a cottage made entirely of sweets. The children stumbled toward it, their stomachs grumbling with hunger. Gretel took a chocolate shingle. The sweetness of a frosting icicle almost made Hansel dizzy. They didn't hear the door swing open. Do I hear little mouths nibbling on my house? A sweet voice said. It was a tiny old woman with cloudy eyes calling to them. Please, come in, she offered. Hansel and Gretel happily followed her inside.

草地上有一样奇妙的东西：一座完全用糖果做成的小房子。 两个孩子跌跌撞撞朝它跑去，肚子饿得咕咕直叫。 格蕾特尔掰下一块巧克力屋瓦。 糖霜做的冰柱甜得差点让亨塞尔晕过去。 他们没听见屋门吱呀一声打开了。 「是不是有小馋猫在啃我的房子呀？」 一个甜甜的声音说道。 说话的是一位小个子老奶奶，眼睛模模糊糊看不清，正招呼他们过去。 「快，请进吧。」她发出邀请。 亨塞尔和格蕾特尔开开心心跟着她进了屋。