2) Hansel and Gretel
A poor woodcutter and his wife had two children named Hansel and Gretel.
These two children grew up to be wise beyond their years. Hansel was as smart as an owl while Gretel was gentle like the animals in a petting zoo. The two children loved to skip stones in the lake half a mile over. Hansel and Gretel's mother died when they were young. They were devastated. Soon, their father remarried but their stepmother was very cruel.
One day, she took the children deep into the forest and left them there. Clever Hansel had some breadcrumbs in his pocket and had dropped them on the way so that they could find their way back home. Alas! The birds ate all the crumbs and they could not find the path that led back home.
Hansel and Gretel went deeper and deeper into the forest. They were famished and tired. Finally, after walking for a long time, they saw a cottage made of chocolate, candies, and cake. "Look, Hansel! A chocolate brick!" shouted Gretel in glee and both ate it hungrily.
Now, a wicked witch lived there. When she saw Hansel and Gretel, she wanted to eat them. She grabbed the children and locked them in a cage.
The witch decided to make a soup out of Hansel and eat him first. She began boiling a huge pot of water for the soup. Just as the evil, selfish witch brought the tip of her long, crooked nose to the boiling water, Hansel kicked his cage door open. This gave Gretel the signal to push the evil witch into the boiling pot of water. The evil witch toppled over into the pot just in time for Hansel to land right on her head, avoiding the hot water beneath his feet. The heat from the water melted the old witch into sweet, gooey syrup.
His face beaming, Hansel praised Gretel for being as brave as a lion. They decided to look around the cottage. To their surprise, they found a lot of treasure. Excitedly, they carried it home with them. Their stepmother had died and their father welcomed them back with open arms. He was as happy as a lark. With their newfound treasure, they never went hungry again!
