Hansel and Gretel Hansel and Gretel's mother had passed away a year ago, and their father had remarried a wicked woman. There was something evil about their stepmother, and the kids knew she wanted their father all to herself. She hated Hansel and Gretel and was always very cruel to them. One day, Hansel and Gretel's evil stepmother had them doing chores around the house. She refused to feed them, and they grew very hungry. Hansel stole a piece of bread from the kitchen when their stepmother wasn't looking. When he returned with it, Gretel suggested that they run away through the woods to eat it. Hansel didn't want to get lost in the woods, so he decided to mark their trail with small black and white stones that he had stolen from his father's box of checkers. As they ran deeper into the woods, Hansel dropped checkers here and there to mark the way home.

Suddenly, they came upon a house that was entirely made of candy. Having only eaten a tiny bit of bread, Hansel and Gretel were starving. They began picking off gumdrops and stuffing their faces with the candy from the outside of the house. Then, a lovely, old lady emerged from the house. She invited them in and offered them even more candy and cake. At first, Hansel and Gretel were ecstatic for the treats, but they soon became uncomfortable around the woman. She explained that she had never had children of her own, so she built a house of candy hoping one day some children would come along so she could keep them. She was very lonely. Hansel and Gretel did not want to be kept like pets, and they wanted to go home to their father. They rushed out of the house and ran as fast as they could. They followed their checkers home until they ran into the loving embrace of their father, who had been up worrying about them. He cursed his wife for being so cruel to his children, and Hansel and Gretel promised that they would never run away again.

Johnnie and Grizzle

Johnnie and Grizzle were the children of a very poor woodcutter and his wife. Their father warned their mother that he feared they would soon have to get rid of the children. Otherwise, he thought they would all starve. Their mother begged and pleaded with their father. She couldn't bear to lose her children, but their father could see no other way for them to survive. They were too poor to buy food for everyone. He planned to lead the children out into the woods in the hopes that they might find food and learn to survive on their own. Johnnie and Grizzle heard about their father's plan. They collected all of their trinkets and toys to sell them to help earn money. They packed up a large bag, but their father interrupted their packing. He said that they were going to go out on a family walk through the woods.

Johnnie was scared that their father would abandon them out in the woods. However, Grizzle assured Johnnie that she had a plan. As they walked, she dropped trinkets and little toys along the way to mark a path. Eventually, their father left them and ran back through the woods towards their house. They were alone and figured that they should let their father get a head start. They didn't want to get caught following him back home. As they waited, they looked around them. That's when Johnnie spotted something remarkable. He found a house entirely made of gingerbread and candy. Still starving, Johnnie and Grizzle began to chomp away at the candy decorations. They even chewed their way through the gingerbread walls. They had never seen such delicacies in all their life! Suddenly, a cruel-looking old woman came rushing out of the candy house. She was furious that the children had begun to eat her home. She threatened the children as she cursed at them. Johnnie and Grizzle ran terrified back through the woods, following their trail of trinkets home. Their mother greeted them with open arms. Their father cried and begged for his children's forgiveness. He promised that he would be a better father and find a way to take care of them so that they should never have to leave the home or fear going hungry.

Both stories include the event of the main characters meeting an old woman. How do the authors illustrate the main characters' reactions to the old lady similarly?

In both stories, the kids become frightened of the old lady and run away from her.
In both stories, the kids believe the old lady and are grateful that she lets them eat candy.
In both stories, the kids think that the old lady is cruel and run home right away.
In both stories, the kids trust the old lady at first, but them become uncomfortable.