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Summary
Summary
New York Times bestselling artist and Caldecott Honor winner Susan Jeffers has created a Nutcracker as only she can--with lavish illustrations, magnificent detail, a glitter-brushed cover, and enchanting holiday scenes on every page. This is The Nutcracker as you've never seen it before! Makes a lovely keepsake and gift.
Join Marie, Fritz, and the intriguing Nutcracker himself on a magical Christmas Eve adventure. Behold the frightful Mouse King, the elegant Sugar Plum fairies, and the entire Land of Sweets in this dazzling, gorgeously illustrated holiday classic. With spare text based on the story in the ballet, this book offers a front-row seat to the enthralling tale that is a perennial favorite of adults and children alike.
And for Susan Jeffers fans looking for extra content, an author's note is included at the end of the book, in which she explains what inspired her to turn this holiday tradition into a show-stopping picture book.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Children who love the traditional Christmas ballet will enjoy this romantic illustrated edition. Jeffers sets the story in the Victorian period and keeps the familiar elements, yet only the Sugar Plum Fairies literally dance in this version. As a story, the cursory text is rather ho-hum, but the illustrations communicate the beauty and the emotional quality of the ballet.-Virginia Walter, University of California, Los Angeles (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Jeffers (Brother Eagle, Sister Sky) raises the curtain on an energetic and child-friendly distillation of the Nutcracker ballet (as opposed to the full-length E.T.A. Hoffman fairy tale). Here ballerinas in an array of tutus pirouette and waltz through the magical elements of that tale, familiar to many young dance students. Jeffers's soft watercolors, adopting a range of perspectives, capture both the drama of the classic story and the elegance of choreography, in a volume likely to leave youngsters longing to attend a live performance. Ages 3-8. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Primary) Two Nutcrackers target the youngest segment of the Christmastime ballet audience, and both succeed in providing a shorter, lighter take on the sometimes-dark original. Peters supplies the more accessible pre-ballet introduction, using an assured storyteller's voice to emphasize drama and excitement. Bronson's accompanying illustrations are bold and jazzy with lots of turquoise, pink, and purple; energetic, swooping lines are held under control by page borders showing snow, stars, or candy. Jeffers uses a calmer, introspective tone that brings out the characters' emotional struggles; her romantic, detail-rich illustrations are based on the Balanchine ballet, all the way down to the costumes, sets, and even some staging. Jeffers offers a satisfying extension for a slightly older audience already under the spell of the ballet. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Jeffers puts her immediately recognizable style to fine use in her illustrations of the story from the beloved holiday ballet. The oversized cover of this beautifully designed edition is filled with a compelling, close-up portrait of Marie as she holds her Nutcracker close, with the title in metallic gold letters partially covered by Marie's flowing golden tresses. The illustrations closely follow the plot of the ballet, with the familiar progression of the party scene full of swirling skirts and the appearance of the Nutcracker, the battle scene with the defeat of the Mouse King and the journey to the magical Land of Sweets, filled with scenes of dancers in minty pastels and jeweled accents. An author's note offers information about the history of the ballet and the approach Jeffers followed in designing this lovely interpretation. The story is skillfully retold with just a few lines of text per page, making this an excellent introduction to the ballet for younger children. This will likely be the new standard choice for reading to little ones prior to attending a holiday performance. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In her author's note, Jeffers rightly points out that many Nutcracker storybooks omit the dancing the very element that draws most children to the tale in the first place. In contrast, Jeffers' lush watercolors closely match what children might see on the stage, moving through the acts and scenes to provide a graceful pictorial synopsis. Costumed and in pointe shoes, dancers appear throughout, with most of the named roles, such as Mother Ginger and her Polichinelles, specifically identified in the brief, smoothly written text. Jeffers' corps de ballet could have been more diverse, and readers may have questions about the ending, which won't match most performances. Even so, this will wholly satisfy families wanting to prepare for annual Nutcracker rituals, and the oversize dimensions and glitter-dusted jacket lend the book a suitable special-occasion feel. Children curious about the bizarre, lengthy E. T. A. Hoffman story, upon which the ballet is loosely based, can turn to Maurice Sendak's unabridged 1984 version; for most purposes, though, this treatment will earn curtain calls galore.--Mattson, Jennifer Copyright 2007 Booklist