The Nutcracker

by Stephanie Spinner, Peter Malone (Illustrator)

Overview

Christmas just isn’t Christmas without The Nutcracker! This beautiful book, which includes a fully orchestrated CD of the score, invites children to dance, prance, and relive the ballet long after the tree comes down.
 
Peter Malone’s exquisite illustrations capture all the magic of The Nutcracker’s most memorable scenes: the Christmas Eve party, Godfather Drosselmeyer’s spellbinding visit, and the ferocious battle between the Mouse King and the Nutcracker. Marie’s journey to the Land of Sweets, where the Sugar Plum Fairy welcomes her with exuberant dancers from around the globe—and toothsome desserts—springs to life as never before.
 
Stephanie Spinner’s lyrical text, Peter Malone’s jewel-like artwork, and a sparkling performance of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable music make this a gift to inspire even the very youngest dancer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780375984617
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	11/03/2010
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	35 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Stephanie Spinner is the author of many highly praised children’s books ranging from the picture books Alex the Parrot and It’s a Miracle! A Hanukkah Storybook and the Step-Up Classic Dracula to the middle-grade novel Aliens for Breakfast, and Quiver and Quicksilver, young adult retellings of myths.
 
Peter Malone has illustrated such classical works as Peter and the Wolf, The Magic Flute, At the Opera, The World of King Arthur and His Court, and The Adventures of Odysseus. His illustrations have appeared in the New Yorker and on British Royal Mail stamps.

Editorial Reviews

K-Gr 4

Each holiday season seems to generate a new batch of picture-book versions of The Nutcracker . This edition adds little to the selections already in most collections. The relatively lengthy text tells the complete story of the ballet. Malone's exquisite watercolors depict a late-18th-century household in which a generous godfather presents his rather odd gifts of life-sized dolls and a small nutcracker figure that come alive in Clara's dream. An author's endnote gives the history of the ballet. A CD of the score performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra is included.-Virginia Walter, University of California, Los Angeles

School Library Journal

Children preparing to attend a holiday performance of The Nutcracker will find this a helpful introduction to the beloved ballet. The text follows the ballet's plot in straightforward chronological order, but this retelling ends (a little too soon) with Marie (and her prince) still in the Land of Sweets, just before Marie wakes up from her dream. The smoothly written story introduces all the major characters and dancers and includes dialogue that helps to clarify the plot. Malone's watercolor illustrations are done in a muted palette with hazy lighting, emphasizing the 19th-century setting and the mysterious, dreamy aspects of the story; the colors and lighting brighten to delineate the magical nature of the Land of Sweets. Some of the main characters are illustrated more as actors in a play rather than as ballet dancers; the Sugar Plum Fairy, for example, is shown as a fairy with wings and bare feet, rather than as a ballerina with pointe shoes. A full-page author's note gives a brief performance history of the ballet, and a fully orchestrated CD of the complete ballet is included. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews