Hansel and Gretel vs The Brown Fairy Book: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Folklore, Fairy Tales, Children's fiction
Hansel and Gretel
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"Hansel and Gretel" is a well-known fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm. In this favorite Grimm Brothers tale, an evil stepmother sends Hansel and Gretel into the woods, but birds eat the crumb…
The Brown Fairy Book
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Thirty-two fairy tales from the folklore of Africa, Australia, Brazil, India, New Caledonia, and Persia.
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Hansel and Gretel is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 3 for The Brown Fairy Book.
- Hansel and Gretel has the widest readership — 12218 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Hansel and Gretel | The Brown Fairy Book | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (12218) | 4.1 (1324) |
| Hardcover | 3.9 (14) | 3.3 (8) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.0 (5) |
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Reception
| Hansel and Gretel | The Brown Fairy Book | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 12218 | 1324 |
| Editions | 8 | 312 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 2701 |
| Reading it now | — | 150 |
| Written reviews | — | 43 |
| Wikipedia attention | 60624 | 3679 |
| Pages | 32 | 215 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Hansel and Gretel or The Brown Fairy Book?
The Brown Fairy Book has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Brown Fairy Book 4.1/5, Hansel and Gretel 4.0/5).
Which is shorter to read: Hansel and Gretel or The Brown Fairy Book?
Hansel and Gretel is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Hansel and Gretel (32 pages, ≈ 36 min); The Brown Fairy Book (215 pages, ≈ 3 h 59 m).
Which is harder to read: Hansel and Gretel or The Brown Fairy Book?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Hansel and Gretel: Light; The Brown Fairy Book: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
Hansel and Gretel: 5 film adaptations; The Brown Fairy Book: no film adaptation on record.