Product Description

New York Times bestselling artist Susan Jeffers has created a Nutcracker unlike any that has gone before, with a lovely spare text based on the ballet.

This is the perfect gift to share with children before they see The Nutcracker. Everyone who has seen the ballet will cherish it—as will anyone who enjoys stories where love triumphs.

Come, take a front-row seat. The world's most beloved holiday fairy tale is about to begin.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #227685 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-01
• Released on: 2007-09-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

Review
"Energetic and child-friendly...Jeffers’s soft watercolors...capture both the drama of the classic story and the elegance of choreography." -- Publishers Weekly

"Jeffers’ lush watercolors...will wholly satisfy families...this treatment will earn curtain calls galore." -- ALA Booklist

"Skillfully retold with just a few lines of text per page...an excellent introduction to the ballet for younger children." -- Kirkus Reviews (pointer)

"{Jeffers’s] romantic, detail-rich illustrations are based on the Balanchine ballet...Jeffers offers a satisfying extension" -- The Horn Book

Review
"{Jeffers's] romantic, detail-rich illustrations are based on the Balanchine ballet...Jeffers offers a satisfying extension" (The Horn Book )

"Jeffers' lush watercolors...will wholly satisfy families...this treatment will earn curtain calls galore." (ALA Booklist )

"Skillfully retold with just a few lines of text per page...an excellent introduction to the ballet for younger children." (Kirkus Reviews (pointer) )

"Energetic and child-friendly...Jeffers's soft watercolors...capture both the drama of the classic story and the elegance of choreography." (Publishers Weekly )

About the Author

Susan Jeffers is one of only a few illustrators to have been on the adult New York Times bestseller list. She has won the ABBY from the American Booksellers Association, a Caldecott Honor from the American Library Association, and the Pomme d'Or de Bratislava. Her work has been exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Norman Rockwell Museum of Art. Her books, including Brother Eagle, Sister Sky, have sold millions of copies and have been published around the world. Susan Jeffers lives in Westchester County, New York.

Customer Reviews

A New Classic
This exquisite new version of the Nutcracker is sure to become an instant classic. The story has been simplified so that it is accessible to a younger audience and it follows the ballet rather than the more complex fairy tale. Jeffers' drawings are so evocative that you can almost hear the music as you turn the pages of the book. Every little girl who sees the ballet and dreams of meeting the sugar plum fairy will want this book to help her remember and relive those delicious memories over and over again. And everyone who has yet to see The Nutcracker will be inspired to do so.

a beautiful book
This is one of the best "Nutcracker" books on the market. The illustrations are lovely and sweet. The story has been shortened for easier reading, but the author kept all of the important aspects. I'm giving it to my 8 year old daughter for Christmas...what a treat!

beautiful children's edition
This is a wonderful children's recounting of the Nutcracker Ballet. The pictures are wonderfully engaging for children, and the text is succinct enough to be read as a picture book. It is much better than the wordy versions I have seen previously, or those versions that use photographs of the real ballet. The drawings seem to be much more accessible for children than photos. I found Jeffer's version to be fairly representative of the ballet itself. I disagree with those who say that the battle with the mice was too scary - if your kids think the book is scary, they will DEFINITELY think the ballet is scary. And it's not fair to penalize the author for including the 7 headed mouse king - since this is an accurate reflection of most versions of the play. I can appreciate why one reviewer wished there were more scenes of the Land of Treats - however frankly, my kids always felt that was "the boring half" of the Nutrcracker, and I can understand why Jeffers abridged that portion of the story. Personally, my daughter loves this book and it is short enough that it can be comfortably read start to finish at bed time. My only caution is that Jeffers calls the main female character Marie. My kids were more accustomed to the name Clara for the lead girl, so I had to constantly substitute Clara for Marie throughout the whole text.