Hansel and Gretel: The Candy House · chapter 1 of 4
The White Pebbles
白石头
In a year with no bread, Hansel and Gretel hear their stepmother's plan to leave them in the forest. But Hansel has a plan too, and it starts with a pocketful of white pebbles.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Narrator 很久很久以前，大森林旁边住着一家人。那一年，家家都没有饭吃。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, dà sēnlín pángbiān zhùzhe yì jiā rén. Nà yì nián, jiājiā dōu méiyǒu fàn chī.
Long, long ago, a family lived beside a great forest. One year, every family in the land went hungry.
- Gretel 哥哥，我好饿啊。家里还有面包吗？
Gēge, wǒ hǎo è a. Jiā lǐ hái yǒu miànbāo ma?
Hansel, I'm so hungry. Is there any bread left?
- Hansel 只有这一小块了。格莱特，你吃吧，我不饿。
Zhǐ yǒu zhè yì xiǎo kuài le. Géláitè, nǐ chī ba, wǒ bú è.
There's just this little piece. You have it, Gretel. I'm not hungry.
- Gretel 你也饿，你的肚子在叫呢！我们一人一半吧。
Nǐ yě è, nǐ de dùzi zài jiào ne! Wǒmen yì rén yíbàn ba.
You're hungry too. I can hear your tummy growling! Let's have half each.
- Narrator 那天夜里，两个孩子饿得睡不着。他们听见后妈在跟爸爸说话。
Nà tiān yèli, liǎng gè háizi è de shuì bù zháo. Tāmen tīngjiàn hòumā zài gēn bàba shuōhuà.
That night, the two children were too hungry to sleep. They heard their stepmother talking to their father.
- Stepmother 家里只有一点儿面包了。明天把孩子带进森林，我们自己回来！
Jiā lǐ zhǐ yǒu yìdiǎnr miànbāo le. Míngtiān bǎ háizi dài jìn sēnlín, wǒmen zìjǐ huílái!
There's hardly any bread left. Tomorrow we take the children into the forest and come back without them!
- Father 什么？不行！他们是我的孩子啊！
Shénme? Bù xíng! Tāmen shì wǒ de háizi a!
What? No! They're my children!
- Stepmother 不这样，我们四个人都会饿死！你听我的！
Bú zhèyàng, wǒmen sì gè rén dōu huì èsǐ! Nǐ tīng wǒ de!
If we don't, all four of us will starve! You'll do as I say!
- Father 唉……我的孩子……好吧，好吧。
Āi… wǒ de háizi… hǎo ba, hǎo ba.
Oh… my poor children… All right. All right.
- Gretel 哥哥，你听见了吗？他们不要我们了……
Gēge, nǐ tīngjiàn le ma? Tāmen bú yào wǒmen le…
Hansel, did you hear? They don't want us anymore…
- Hansel 别哭，格莱特。别怕，我有办法！
Bié kū, Géláitè. Bié pà, wǒ yǒu bànfǎ!
Don't cry, Gretel. Don't be afraid. I have a plan!
- Narrator 大人都睡了。汉赛尔一个人走出了门。
Dàrén dōu shuì le. Hànsài'ěr yí gè rén zǒu chū le mén.
When the grown-ups were asleep, Hansel crept out of the house alone.
- Hansel 今天的月亮真亮！门前的白石头，像银子一样发光。
Jīntiān de yuèliang zhēn liàng! Mén qián de bái shítou, xiàng yínzi yíyàng fāguāng.
The moon's so bright tonight! The white pebbles by the door are shining like silver.
- Hansel 多拿一点儿……好了，口袋里都放满了！
Duō ná yìdiǎnr… hǎo le, kǒudai lǐ dōu fàng mǎn le!
A few more… There. My pockets are full!
- Stepmother 快起来！我们去森林里找木头。这是你们中午的面包，现在别吃！
Kuài qǐlái! Wǒmen qù sēnlín lǐ zhǎo mùtou. Zhè shì nǐmen zhōngwǔ de miànbāo, xiànzài bié chī!
Get up! We're going into the forest for wood. This is your bread for lunch. Don't eat it now!
- Narrator 一家人往森林里走。汉赛尔走几步，就往回看一看。
Yì jiā rén wǎng sēnlín lǐ zǒu. Hànsài'ěr zǒu jǐ bù, jiù wǎng huí kàn yi kàn.
The family set off into the forest. Every few steps, Hansel turned and looked back.
- Father 汉赛尔，你怎么老往回看？
Hànsài'ěr, nǐ zěnme lǎo wǎng huí kàn?
Hansel, why do you keep looking back?
- Hansel 我在看我的小白猫。它坐在房顶上，跟我说再见呢！
Wǒ zài kàn wǒ de xiǎo bái māo. Tā zuò zài fángdǐng shang, gēn wǒ shuō zàijiàn ne!
I'm looking at my little white cat. It's sitting on the roof, saying goodbye to me!
- Stepmother 傻孩子！那不是猫，是太阳照在房顶上！
Shǎ háizi! Nà bú shì māo, shì tàiyáng zhào zài fángdǐng shang!
Silly child! That's no cat. That's the sun shining on the roof!
- Gretel 哥哥，我们家没有小白猫啊……
Gēge, wǒmen jiā méiyǒu xiǎo bái māo a…
Hansel… we don't have a little white cat…
- Hansel 嘘！我在路上放白石头呢。
Xū! Wǒ zài lù shang fàng bái shítou ne.
Shh! I'm dropping white pebbles along the path.
- Father 孩子们，坐在火边睡一会儿吧。晚上，我们来接你们。
Háizimen, zuò zài huǒ biān shuì yíhuìr ba. Wǎnshang, wǒmen lái jiē nǐmen.
Children, sit by the fire and have a little sleep. We'll come back for you this evening.
- Narrator 孩子们睡了很久。天黑了，火没有了，爸爸也没有来。
Háizimen shuì le hěn jiǔ. Tiān hēi le, huǒ méiyǒu le, bàba yě méiyǒu lái.
The children slept for a long time. Night fell, the fire went out, and their father didn't come.
- Gretel 天这么黑！哥哥，我们怎么回家啊？
Tiān zhème hēi! Gēge, wǒmen zěnme huí jiā a?
It's so dark! Hansel, how will we get home?
- Hansel 别哭。等月亮出来，你就知道了。
Bié kū. Děng yuèliang chūlái, nǐ jiù zhīdào le.
Don't cry. Wait till the moon comes up. You'll see.
- Narrator 月亮出来了。路上的白石头，一个一个亮了起来。
Yuèliang chūlái le. Lù shang de bái shítou, yí gè yí gè liàng le qǐlái.
The moon rose, and one by one, the white pebbles on the path began to shine.
- Gretel 哥哥，你看！石头在发光！一个，两个，三个……
Gēge, nǐ kàn! Shítou zài fāguāng! Yí gè, liǎng gè, sān gè…
Hansel, look! The pebbles are shining! One, two, three…
- Hansel 这就是回家的路！跟着白石头走吧！
Zhè jiù shì huí jiā de lù! Gēnzhe bái shítou zǒu ba!
That's our way home! Let's follow the white pebbles!
- Narrator 走了一夜，天亮的时候，他们回到了家。
Zǒu le yí yè, tiān liàng de shíhou, tāmen huí dào le jiā.
They walked all night, and at daybreak they were home.
- Father 汉赛尔！格莱特！你们回来了！太好了！
Hànsài'ěr! Géláitè! Nǐmen huílái le! Tài hǎo le!
Hansel! Gretel! You're back! Oh, thank goodness!
- Stepmother 你们两个坏孩子，怎么在森林里睡了那么久？
Nǐmen liǎng gè huài háizi, zěnme zài sēnlín lǐ shuì le nàme jiǔ?
You naughty children! Why did you sleep so long in the forest?
- Stepmother 这次让你们跑回来了。下一次，我把大门关好，看你们还怎么回来！
Zhè cì ràng nǐmen pǎo huílái le. Xià yí cì, wǒ bǎ dàmén guān hǎo, kàn nǐmen hái zěnme huílái!
You got away with it this time. Next time I'll shut the door tight, and then let's see you find your way home!
What changed in the story?
- Why can't the children sleep that night?
“两个孩子饿得睡不着”
- What is the stepmother's plan?
“明天把孩子带进森林，我们自己回来！”
- What does Hansel find outside in the moonlight?
“门前的白石头，像银子一样发光。”
- Why does Hansel say he keeps looking back?
“我在看我的小白猫。它坐在房顶上”
- How do the children find their way home?
“石头在发光！”……“跟着白石头走吧！”