Hansel and Gretel

A poor woodcutter lived near a large forest with his wife and his two children. His son was named Hansel, and his daughter was named Grethel. His wife was the children's stepmother.

There was very little food in the country, and the woodcutter could no longer find enough bread for his family. One night, he lay awake, worrying.

“How can we feed the children?” he asked his wife. “We don't even have enough for ourselves.”

His wife wanted to take the children deep into the forest the next morning. They would light a fire, give the children some bread, and leave them there. The children would not find their way home.

“No,” said their father. “I can't leave my children alone in the forest. Wild animals will kill them.”

“Then all four of us will die of hunger!” she said.

She kept arguing until he agreed. But he still felt terribly sorry for his children.