ISBN: 0152015949.
This story is an adaptation of Hansel and Gretel that takes place on the island of Bali. Two twin sisters are kidnapped by an evil ogress, the Rangsasa, and the twins' animal friends must save them.
Characters are revealed through their actions and the narrator's descriptions. The narrator describes how the twins would be careful not to harm any creatures while they cleaned and how they would always leave some food out for the mouse. We can tell by this that the girls are kind and loving. The frogs, pig and mouse show their love for the twins when they go off to rescue them. The illustrations show how happy the animals are when the twins dance for them and how evil and ugly the Rangsasa is.
Children will certainly enjoy the plot. children will be fascinated by the Rangsasa and by the intelligent animals. The story has a lot of action and the illustrations really add to the action. While the text describes how the Rangsasa has carried the twins off to her house, we ee the illustration of the frightened twins being carried off while the pig and mouse look on in horror. The climax will delight children as they see the Rangsasa get outsmarted by the big and then is burned alive inside her home thanks to the mouse.
The story takes place on the island of Bali. The twins live with their mother in a �small house nestled between a dark forest and sunny rice fields.� The illustrations are essential in the development of the setting. We see how quaint and cozy the twins' house is compared to how dark and ominous the forest is where the Rangsasa lives. The setting is important because of the remote location. If the twins' mother hadn't had to travel to town, the Rangsasa would not have had the opportunity to kidnap the twins.
The theme is interesting because while this is a version of Hansel and Gretel, the theme is not the same. In Hansel and Gretel the theme is not to trust strangers or don't wander alone in the woods. In this story, the twins do nothing wrong. The moral instead might be to be kind to all living creatures.
The story is written in third person point of view with a narrator that is not omniscient. There are a lot of sounds used in the text. The pig grunts happily �ngus ngus ngus.� The frogs play and sing: �kek-kek, kung!� There is limited dialogue. The writing is straightforward but also descriptive. �The pig swayed and turned gracefully, flicking her fans to the rhythm of the music as her eyes flashed left, then right.� The mood is one of excitement and danger. Readers will anticipate the twins' kidnapping and then wait to see if the pig's plan will work or if the pig will be captured as well. �Sierra... deftly catches the rhythm, humor, and suspense of an oral tale� (Booklist). There is also a source note included, a �brief statement gives cultural background information, and a pronunciation guide helps with unfamiliar words� (School Library Journal).
The illustrations are extremely colorful and interesting paintings. The fewest colors I found in any given illustration were nine, which is still a lot of colors. Half of the illustrations cover only one page while the other half are on two-page spreads. When the illustration is on one page, then the text is on a white page opposite it. But even the white page has color. There will be a small illustration at the bottom such as a flower or the mouse. The clothing all have very detailed, colorful patterns that will attract children's gaze.
This is a unique take on a familiar story that children will thoroughly enjoy.
Booklist. 1999. Booklist. In Books in Print [database online]. Available from
http://www.booksinprint.com/bip. Accessed 20 September 2004.
School Library Journal. 1999. School Library Journal. In Books in Print [database online]. Available
from http://www.booksinprint.com/bip. Accessed 22 September 2004.
