Suffice it to say, this is a popular topic for picture-books, although apparently in 2007, when Jeffers was considering working on this version, there was far less available. I've also read a number of picture-books - Tallulah's Nutcracker, Ella Bella Ballerina and The Nutcracker, Zombelina Dances The Nutcracker - depicting young ballerinas either performing this ballet or learning about it.

Jeffers' The Nutcracker is the sixth picture-book retelling of this tale that I have read, following upon versions presented by Alison Jay, Niroot Puttapipat, Shobhna Patel, Grace Maccarone, and Renate Raecke. The book concludes with the information that the Prince/Nutcracker eventually returns to marry Marie, when she is grown. All of the major incidents of the ballet - the battle between the Nutcracker and the Mouse King, the visit to the Land of Sweets, the national dances performed there - follow, as Marie's wonderful dream (or is it?) unfolds. Pairing a simple text with beautiful artwork (created in watercolor, I believe), she spins the magical tale of Marie, who is given a wooden Nutcracker by her godfather for Christmas. Despite the story having the potential to be incomplete for older readers, this book is sure to delight those who love the story, the ballet, or both.Ĭelebrated children's author and artist Susan Jeffers turns her attention to the ballet The Nutcracker in this lovely holiday picture-book. This is the perfect gateway book for them, and a wonderful addition to them seeing either the ballet of the film version. With it’s gentle illustrations and simplistic, to the point storyline, I would recommend this book to children who are just becoming familiar with the Nutcracker. Whether she thought these parts were unnecessary to the understanding of the story, but to me the story felt a little incomplete. On the other hand, in the process of summarizing the story for young children, the author left out about half the plot. This may seem inconsequential, but since the ballet is so well-known, beloved (and often a child’s first introduction to the story), it was a nice touch. I also appreciated that the author chose to incorporate ballet into the storyline. On the one hand, the illustrations were simply wonderful, and the author did a good job of summarizing the story for little ones to enjoy. This Nutcracker tale left me feeling very… mixed.

The nutcracker book susan jeffers