Fairy Tales for Kids: The Story of Hansel and Gretel
Fairy Tales for Kids: The Story of Hansel and Gretel
The story of Hansel and Gretel was originally written in 1812 as a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. The original story is quite a bit darker than a lot of modern retellings. If you are interested in reading a more faithful original version, you can find one over at Grimms Stories.
Our Version of the Hansel and Gretel Story
Our version of Hansel and Gretel has been written for English learners. The language has been simplified and the story has been shortened.
Throughout our story, we have included hyperlinks on difficult words that will take you to a dictionary definition for these words. As well, we have included audio recordings to help you with pronunciation.
If you would prefer, we also have a PDF version of this story, you can download it at the link below.
Hansel and Gretel PDF
We hope you enjoy our take on this classic Grimm fairytale.
The Story of Hansel and Gretel
By: The Learner’s Nook
Once upon a time, there was a poor family.
They had two children named Hansel and Gretel.
The kid’s mother had passed away, and the dad had remarried.
Their new stepmom was evil.
Because they were poor, the family didn’t have enough money for food.
So, the stepmom wanted to get rid of Hansel and Gretel to save money.
One day the stepmom led Hansel and Gretel into the dark forest.
She went left, right, and all around to get them lost and confused.
The stepmom then left the kids in the middle of the forest all alone.
She hoped to never see them again.
However, Hansel was smart.
He left a trail of stones behind him as they walked.
When the stepmom left them, Hansel and Gretel followed the stones back home.
When they arrived, their dad was so happy to see them.
But, their stepmom was very angry.
The next day, their stepmom led Hansel and Gretel into the dark forest.
She went left, right, and all around to get them lost and confused.
Their stepmom then left the kids in the middle of the forest all alone.
She hoped to never see them again.
However, Hansel was smart.
He left a trail of breadcrumbs behind him as they walked.
When their stepmom left them, Hansel and Gretel followed the breadcrumbs.
But, soon, the breadcrumbs disappeared.
The animals had eaten all of the breadcrumbs up.
Hansel and Gretel quickly became lost in the dark forest.
They walked and walked and walked.
And then, they saw a small cottage in a clearing.
The house was made of candy and gingerbread.
Hansel and Gretel were hungry, so they began to eat the cottage.
The two kids broke off pieces of gingerbread and ate them.
“Stop eating my cottage!” yelled a voice.
Hansel and Gretel turned around.
There, in the candy doorway, was a big, fat witch.
The witch grabbed Hansel and Gretel and forced them into the cottage.
The witch threw Hansel and Gretel into a cage and locked them in.
“Let us out” yelled Hansel and Gretel.
“No,” replied the witch, “I am hungry, and I will eat you up!”
The witch began getting her oven ready.
But, the oven door was stuck!
“Girl,” the witch yelled, “Come help me open this door!”
The witch let Gretel out of the cage to help her open the door.
They pushed and pushed and pushed, and then the door opened.
While the witch was distracted, Gretel pushed her into the oven.
Gretel grabbed her brother and ran out of the cottage
Hansel and Gretel ran, and ran, and ran.
They found a forest path and followed it all the way back to their home.
Their dad was so happy to see them.
Their stepmom was gone (she herself had gotten lost in the forest).
The kids and their dad lived happily ever after.
Read More Stories with the Learner’s Nook
If you want to practice your child’s English, there is no better way than reading. Reading classic stories can help your child improve their English skills.
We have written several classic stories in modern and simple English. To see our stories, go to our collection of English fairy tales section.
