Nutcracker Books for All Ages

The Nutcracker Picture Book

This is "getting ready for Nutcracker" season here, and I spent most of yesterday helping out with one of my kid's Nutcracker activities. It is such a well-loved ballet that has become a Christmas tradition in our family. I was inspired to find something for the Nutcracker fan of any age.

First is this lovely picture book, a perfect read-aloud book for a young child about to watch The Nutcracker Ballet for the first time.

The Nutcracker 
by Susan Jeffers
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins; First Edition edition (September 25, 2007)
ISBN-13: 978-0060743864
Available on Amazon 

Nutcracker Paper Doll Fold-out Set

For the little ballerina or ballerina-to-be, based on what my kids were like when they were little, I think this paper doll Nutcracker theater will be played with again and again.

The Nutcracker Ballet: A Book, Theater, and Paper Doll Fold-out Play Set 
by Mara Conlon, Jo Gershman
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Peter Pauper Press, Inc.; Act Pck edition (March 30, 2008)
ISBN-13: 978-1593598853
Available on Amazon

Steampunk Nutcracker

For the Young Adult crowd, here is an interesting spin on The Nutcracker - a Steampunk retelling of the classic tale! The description sounds intriguing:

Is Ree up to the task of righting Drosselmeier’s wrongs, with only a Nutcracker man, a clockwork doll, an irritating older brother, a handful of urchins, and her wits to help her? With an army of mechanical rats close on her heels and an air ship of sky pirates above her, time is running out, and Ree can’t be sure who to trust. 

Once Upon A Winter: A Steampunk Nutcracker
by Melyssa Williams
Paperback: 308 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (October 30, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-1518822667
Available on Amazon

The Illustrated Classic

Speaking of the classic tale, this is one of the most beautifully illustrated versions of it that I have seen of E.T.A. Hoffman's original tale The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Go and click on "look inside" on the Amazon link to see what I mean.

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King
by Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, 

A. Scheiner, L. W. R. Wenckebach, 

Marie-Michelle Joy
Paperback: 88 pages
Publisher: The Planet (October 28, 2013)
ISBN-13: 978-1909115774
Available on Amazon

 

Nutcracker The Crochet

 And last, because I like to crochet when I can, I find this absolutely adorable - crochet dolls of the Nutcracker characters. I took a peek in the book on Amazon and the instructions seem straightforward. The description reads:

Twelve easy-to-follow patterns depict Marie and her Nutcracker, the Mouse King, the enchanted clock, a Christmas tree surrounded by wrapped gifts, and other festive figures.

Crochet Stories: E. T. A. Hoffmann's The Nutcracker
by Lindsay Smith
Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: Dover Publications (November 18, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-0486794600
Available on Amazon

Here's to the start of magical Holiday Season for all of us.