The Nutcracker: A Christmas Holiday Book for Kids

Beautifully illustrated book!

**"The Nutcracker": A Stunning Visual Feast of Holiday Magic.** **"The Nutcracker"** by Susan Jeffers is a beautifully illustrated rendition of the beloved holiday classic, inviting readers to join Marie, her brother Fritz, and the enchanting Nutcracker on a magical Christmas Eve adventure. As they journey through a fantastical world filled with memorable characters like the frightful Mouse King and the graceful Sugar Plum Fairies, Jeffers brings the story to life with her dazzling artwork, making it a visual delight for both adults and children. The book features spare text that captures the essence of the ballet while immersing readers in the enchanting Land of Sweets. Jeffers’s exquisite illustrations complement the narrative, allowing for a front-row seat to this timeless tale. Additionally, fans of Susan Jeffers will appreciate the author’s note at the end, where she shares the inspiration behind transforming this holiday tradition into a show-stopping picture book. **"The Nutcracker"** is a must-have addition to your seasonal reading, celebrating the magic of the holidays and the joy of storytelling through art.

We got tickets to the Nutcracker for our 5 year old granddaughter and wanted her to understand the story before she got to the theatre. The cover of the book has embedded glitter and is attractive. The artwork is very pretty with lots of detail. The story is easy to follow and understand for young children. Most of the important scenes in the ballet are covered by the story. This is a great way to introduce the Nutcracker to someone who has not been there before.

Exquisite, classic picture book rendition of the NutCracker ballet accessible synopsized with texts that distill key scenarios — it was a great way to introduce the story to my 4-6 year old grandchildren before taking them to the actual ballet.

Beautiful book, excellent illustrations, and just the right amount of text for a little one. However, if your child knows the story with Clara as the heroine, they may be disappointed or confused… I wish I had known before purchasing.

I read another customer's complaint that there were too many pages devoted to the fight scenes and not enough devoted to the flowers/candies dances and I knew this would be the right version for our family. My 5 year old son is obsessed with the Nutcracker, particularly the fight scene between the Nutcracker and the Mouse King. This book was his favorite Christmas present, no questions asked. He asked to read it 5 times on Christmas Day. The text gives just enough of the story to not bore him and the illustrations are beautiful and complex. He's noted Fritz being reprimanded by his father for breaking the Nutcracker in the background of one image and Drosselmeyer reflected in an ornament on the Christmas tree in another. My son loves to sit and page through the book himself, using the lovely and detailed illustrations to 'read' the story to himself over and over again.

This is the BEST version of The Nutcracker that I've ever seen. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the story is all there, but just a few lines on each page for young readers and those new to the story. I had purchased tickets to The Nutcracker for my family, which included two grandchildren (boy age 11 & girl age 6). We read the book together over & over to get them familiar with the characters & story line. The production has no speaking parts; just music and action. They were able to enjoy the entire production BECAUSE they could follow the action as the result of KNOWING the story so well. Do your kids/grandkids a big favor and prepare them! Then follow up by purchasing them Nutcracker characters or tree ornaments to cement the memories! They will remember it their entire lives!

I used this story for 3rd and 4th graders in art class, when we did an art project involving the Nutcracker. The students loved the book and the illustrations! At first the boys thought this was more of a "girl's" project, but I explained how there is a battle with cannons, swords, and a dreadful Mouse King. I told them it was definitely for boys, too. After that, they were totally on board and loved the Mouse King and battle scenes. The story was a definite hit! Because Art class is very short, I needed a book that was long on beauty and short on words. This rendition was perfect for my use!