Hansel and Gretel and children's reception: from traditional to contemporary fairy tales

Abstract

Fairy tales are classic stories that remain alive over time, whether through original versions, adaptations or reinterpretations. From an early age, children are in contact with the knowledge historically accumulated by humanity, and through orality, they connect with the cultural assets of different societies and cultures. To introduce this vast cultural and literary universe into the classroom, a more experienced mediator is needed. One of the effective ways to carry out this mediation is through working with literature in the classroom. This study aims to analyze the reception of the story “Hansel and Gretel" by children, comparing the versions by the Brothers Grimm and the Brazilian adaptation by author and illustrator Rosinha. We understand literature as a universal right. When shared in situations experienced by readers with more experience, children can learn the reading strategies necessary to understand texts and they can becoming proficient readers. In this sense, the sooner children are exposed to formal, systematized and planned situations that involve reading strategies, the greater the chance and probability of they understand and appreciate classic texts and their reinterpretations. The theoretical basis of this study includes the works of Colomer (2007), Solé (1998), Girotto & Souza (2010, 2017), as well as other authors who supported our discussions, such as Abramovich (1993). Therefore, we highlight that contact with good literary works during childhood contributes significantly to children's reading development.