Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen review Hansel and Gretel
in a text message conversation for The New York Times
Hansel and Gretel
Maurice Sendak (10 June 1928 – 8 May 2012) considered the story of Hansel and Gretel to be “one of the scariest stories ever written”. Stephen King has retold the Brothers Grimm tale accompanied by the artwork of Maurice Sendak, created in 1997 for stagings of the Engelbert Humperdinck opera based on this classic story.
This edition of Hansel and Gretel represents an inspired collaboration between The Maurice Sendak Foundation and HarperCollins which allows the drawings Sendak originally made for sets, curtains and costumes to be seen for the first time as a picture book alongside King’s text. The invitation to write a new version of the Grimm tale intrigued King, who had his own connections to Sendak, having read his books to his children. King responded particularly to the drawing included above, stating, “To me, it was the essence of this story and, really, all fairy tales: a sunny exterior, a dark and terrible center, brave and resourceful children. In a way, I have been writing about kids like Hansel and Gretel for much of my life.”
Design, typography, and typesetting of Hansel and Gretel by Stephen Stinehour and Elvira Piedra. Stinehour Editions photographed the original Sendak drawings and prepared files and proofs for the publisher. We thank the amazing team at the Maurice Sendak Foundation: Lynn Caponera, Jonathan Weinberg, Leah McCloskey, Nathan Flis, Suzanne Murphy, Chloe Giroux and Virginia Caponera and all at HarperCollins.
HarperCollins has been publishing Maurice Sendak’s work since 1947 (Atomics for the Millions, by Maxwell Leigh Eidinoff). The people responsible for continuing this endeavor at HarperCollins are a dedicated team which includes Megan Ilnitzki, Nancy Inteli, Nicole Moulaison, Rick Farley and Dana Fritts.
Hansel and Gretel Announcement
Stephen King brings a new telling of the Grimm story alongside
the art of Maurice Sendak
Published by HarperCollins
C O M I N G S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 5 ~ Order here
Wild Things Are Happening ~ Exhibitions
The Art of Maurice Sendak
Columbus Museum of Art
October 20, 2023 – March 19, 2024
The Skirball Cultural Center
April 18 – September 1, 2024
Dever Art Museum
October 13, 2024 – February 17, 2025
The first retrospective of Sendak’s work since his death in 2012, Wild Things Are Happening: The Art of Maurice Sendak opened at Columbus Museum of Art on October 20, 2022. Guest curated by Jonathan Weinberg, artist, and Curator of The Maurice Sendak Foundation, it features over one hundred fifty sketches, storyboards, drawings and paintings by Maurice Sendak drawn from the archives at The Maurice Sendak Foundation in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The Columbus exhibition was extended and now runs through March 19, 2024, and from there travels to Los Angeles, and then to Denver, in greatly expanded form where it will fill the entire museum. An international tour is currently planned with dates to be announced. The exhibition is accompanied by a beautifully designed (by Rita Jules, Miko McGinty, Inc.) and printed catalogued, published by The Columbus Museum of Art and DelMonico Books/D.A.P.