Pitch-black India ink is used to great effect, creating dark and terrifying landscapes that threaten to envelop the tiny figures of the children. The most inspirational part of this book is Mattotti’s artwork. There is no question that Gaiman is an incredibly gifted wordsmith, and his retelling hearkens back to the Grimms’s original narrative. 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. 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. And while the story is unsettling enough on its own, it’s Mattotti’s full-bleed india ink illustrations that dial up the creep factor. On simple, well-designed pages of just text, Gaiman tells a fairly standard version of Hansel and Gretel. Gaiman's text is a study in minimalism, yet he includes every salient detail. Newbery Medal–winner Neil Gaiman retells Hansel and Gretel as a story of parents plotting a murder by neglect, with full-spread India ink compositions by Lorenzo Mattotti as dark and terrifying as his forest setting. Gaiman makes the story’s horrors feel very real and very human, and Mattotti’s artwork is genuinely chilling. His artistry flows from the movement of his brush and the play of light and shadow. Italian illustrator Mattotti contributes elegant b&w ink spreads that alternate with spreads of text.

Master storyteller Gaiman plumbs the dark depths of Hansel and Gretel. Grimm version is as frightening as a bedtime story gets, but this version will scare people in new ways, and some of those people may need to start drawing right away. The pictures have inspired Gaiman to write some of his most beautiful sentences. The swirling lines look as though they might start moving if seen at just the right moment. If this isn't the definitive edition of 'Hansel and Gretel,' it's absolutely necessary. Hansel and Gretel 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.

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