Jeffers puts her immediately recognizable style to fine use in her illustrations of the story from the beloved holiday ballet. The oversized cover of this beautifully designed edition is filled with a compelling, close-up portrait of Marie as she holds her Nutcracker close, with the title in metallic gold letters partially covered by Marie’s flowing golden tresses. The illustrations closely follow the plot of the ballet, with the familiar progression of the party scene full of swirling skirts and the appearance of the Nutcracker, the battle scene with the defeat of the Mouse King and the journey to the magical Land of Sweets, filled with scenes of dancers in minty pastels and jeweled accents. An author’s note offers information about the history of the ballet and the approach Jeffers followed in designing this lovely interpretation. The story is skillfully retold with just a few lines of text per page, making this an excellent introduction to the ballet for younger children. This will likely be the new standard choice for reading to little ones prior to attending a holiday performance. (Picture book. 3-8)
