The Nutcracker: A Christmas Holiday Book for Kids

Such artistic talent across every page of this book - magical!! A beautiful retelling of a familiar tale . This would be a wonderful addition to any child’s library. A classic with a beautiful nod to brilliant art!

Susan Jeffers does not disappoint!!! From the opening pages to the details she includes about her reasons for writing this, "finally..." appropriately written and illustrated story of the Nutcracker for children of all ages, Jeffers sweeps you into the story with her realistic illustrations and easy, yet inclusive text. I've taken 1st graders to see parts of The Nutcracker. Having always prepared them beforehand using books that didn't address the ballet while so many were too thick in text they couldn't possibly be useful for us. This inspirational delivery from Jeffers is a PERFECT fit. I am thrilled to add it to our library, and more thrilled that I can enjoy myself.

My daughter is 2 years old and she loves this book. What a fabulous introduction to the Nutcracker. We also recorded the ballet on TV during Christmas, and she was able to follow the story exactly with the help of this book. The story is simply written and the illustrations are wonderful. I recommended it to all of my friends!

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.

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!

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.