The Nutcracker

by John Cech (Retold by), Eric Puybaret (Illustrator)

Overview

This enchanting paperback version of John Cech’s retelling of E. T. A. Hoffmann’s classic tale will leave children with visions of sugarplum fairies dancing in their heads. Featuring luminous illustrations by Eric Puybaret, it belongs under every child’s tree.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454946601
Publisher:	Union Square Kids
Publication date:	11/22/2022
Pages:	44
Sales rank:	61,691
Product dimensions:	10.80(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.10(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

John Cech is a professor of English, teaching courses in children’s literature at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He is also the director of the Center for Children’s Literature and Culture. Cech has served as a judge for the New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards, was president of the Children’s Literature Association, and won the Chandler Award of Merit for his work in children’s literature. He lives in Gainesville, Florida.
 
Eric Puybaret was born in France, and graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. He is the illustrator of many books for young readers including the bestselling Puff, the Magic Dragon by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton (Sterling).

Editorial Reviews

Cech's adaptation retains the story-within-a-story structure of Hoffman's original, while Puybaret's stylized illustrations—composed of strong but muted colors and clean, flat shapes—suggest a dizzying fever-dream. After battling the Mouse King, Marie travels to the Nutcracker's hypnagogic homeland where “harlequins somersaulted one over the other” and “Turkish dancers spun so fast they moved like tops across the floor,” awakening on Christmas morning with a headache and sore throat. Fixing her nutcracker, Godfather Drosselmeier relays the Nutcracker's tale over several pages and, years later, the Nutcracker comes to her as a young man, his curse broken. A provocative and layered conceptualization. Ages 5–12. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 4–This retelling includes the full narrative of the classic E. T. A. Hoffmann text without all of the old-fashioned turns of phrase, making it a good choice for an extended read-aloud. The luminous, rather stylized acrylic illustrations depict a contemporary Marie who moves from the realistic setting of her home to the dream and fantasy worlds of the Nutcracker. A worthy purchase where yet another illustrated version of the story is needed.–Virginia Walter, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, CA

School Library Journal

Cech's adaptation of the holiday classic is based on Hoffman's original rather than on the later ballet. Although the story has been shortened, it is still too lengthy for most children, and some spreads have just text and no illustrations. Puybaret's acrylic paintings show an art deco influence, and the muted colors, shadowy atmosphere and subdued expressions on the characters' faces (as well as the army of mice slinking out of the darkness) give the illustrations a nightmarish rather than dreamlike quality. The characters are like puppets: Marie is a sad blond girl who smiles only on the cover illustration, and the Nutcracker is still a wooden figure even after he has come to life. Shorter and more cheerful versions of the story are more appropriate for the season and for today's young readers. (Picture book. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews