The Nutcracker [Hardcover]

E. T. A. Hoffman (Author), Lisbeth Zwerger (Illustrator)

Book Description

For nearly two hundred years, E.T.A. Hoffmann's tale of the Nutcracker has enchanted readers, inspired artists and composers, and delighted audiences around the world. In cities and towns everywhere, children thrill to annual performances of Tchaikovsky's classic Christmas ballet about a girl named Marie who helps a wooden nutcracker defeat an evil army of mice, and is rewarded by a visit to the magical dream world, the Land of Toys.
Lisbeth Zwerger's stunning, all-new interpretation on The Nutcracker, adapted from the original Hoffmann tale, rounds out the story depicted in the ballet, exploring the background of the feud between the Nutcracker and the seven-headed Mouse King, the true role of the mysterious Drosselmeier, the tragic fate of Princess Pirlipat, the spell cast by Mistress Mousie that is finally broken by loyal Marie, and the satisfying, happily-ever-after conclusion to the great battle and fantastic journey. In pictures filled with wit and whimsy, drama, mystery, and magic, Lisbeth Zwerger transports us to the darkest reaches and brightest beauty of this fairy-tale world.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8–After illustrating The Nutcracker and the Mouse-King (Picture Book Studio, 1983; o.p.), Zwerger has taken on the challenge of creating a completely different set of images almost a quarter century later. She has succeeded admirably. This version features somewhat surreal, almost theatrically presented tableaux, delicately and darkly rendered in pen and ink and watercolor. Readers are far removed from the action–sometimes back in the nosebleed section, as opposed to the earlier edition, in which readers were right in the middle of everything. The 2004 Marie is a china doll of a girl, unlike the more realistically presented character of the past. This would be a hard version to share with a group, though Koppe's retelling is more accessible and detailed than the earlier title. This Nutcracker dramatically illustrates the growth and evolution of an important illustrator.–M. A.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Reviewed with Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid.

Gr. 3-5. Artist Zwerger expands her repertoire of beguilingly illustrated tales by two, both of which contain surprises for readers primarily familiar with popular film or stage versions. Mermaid reinstates the tragic ending and spiritual-mystical components abandoned by Disney; nutcracker, though condensed by adaptor Susanne Koppe, preserves the Mouse King's seven heads and devotes a good chunk of the narrative (as in Hoffman's original) to the story-within-a-story starring Princess Pirlipat. The hypnotic, even slightly chilly, sensibility that pervades Zwerger's work seems a more logical accompaniment to the poignant Mermaid than to nutcracker, whose spirited fantasy seems somehow dampened by the artist's penchant for quiet, dimly lit scenes and slightly arcane imagery. Zwerger first illustrated The Nutcracker and the Mouse King in 1979, but has created entirely new paintings this time around, which will compete for balletomanes' attention with Sendak's lengthier, more rambunctious 1981 treatment. These renditions of cherished stories will prove useful in the coming months, as the 200th anniversary of Andersen's birth approaches and as ballet companies commence their annual march to the Kingdom of Sweets. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: North-South Books (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735817332
• ISBN-13: 978-0735817333
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #635,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars christmas treasure, March 12, 2006

By 

Margaret Anne Suggs (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Nutcracker (Hardcover)

While this story may be longer and more complicated for the small child, the illustrations are magnificent! I suggest reading it over the course of a few nights at bedtime and let your children enjoy the magic.

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice Holiday Story, January 21, 2011

By 

Christy (IL United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Nutcracker (Hardcover)

I bought this for my nephews, who are a little young for the story, but it was one of my favorites as a child. The art is fantastic, and the story contains everything I loved from the stories I read as a child. Absolutely wonderful.