November 1, 2008
Children preparing to attend a holiday performance of The Nutcracker will find this a helpful introduction to the beloved ballet. The text follows the ballet 's plot in straightforward chronological order, but this retelling ends (a little too soon) with Marie (and her prince) still in the Land of Sweets, just before Marie wakes up from her dream. The smoothly written story introduces all the major characters and dancers and includes dialogue that helps to clarify the plot. Malone 's watercolor illustrations are done in a muted palette with hazy lighting, emphasizing the 19th-century setting and the mysterious, dreamy aspects of the story; the colors and lighting brighten to delineate the magical nature of the Land of Sweets. Some of the main characters are illustrated more as actors in a play rather than as ballet dancers; the Sugar Plum Fairy, for example, is shown as a fairy with wings and bare feet, rather than as a ballerina with pointe shoes. A full-page author 's note gives a brief performance history of the ballet, and a fully orchestrated CD of the complete ballet is included. (Picture book. 4-8)
(COPYRIGHT (2008) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
October 1, 2008
K-Gr 4-Each holiday season seems to generate a new batch of picture-book versions of "The Nutcracker". This edition adds little to the selections already in most collections. The relatively lengthy text tells the complete story of the ballet. Malones exquisite watercolors depict a late-18th-century household in which a generous godfather presents his rather odd gifts of life-sized dolls and a small nutcracker figure that come alive in Claras dream. An authors endnote gives the history of the ballet. A CD of the score performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra is included."Virginia Walter, University of California, Los Angeles"
Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
January 1, 2009
In this retelling of the New York City Ballet version of E. T. A. Hoffmann's story, Malone's richly colored, opaque watercolors embellish the dancers' magic. This book, which comes with a CD, provides a good entry-point before attending a performance as well as a chance to relive the experience afterward.
(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
November 1, 2008
This retelling of the New York City Ballet version of E. T. A. Hoffmann's story fills in some details that might not be clear to first-time ballet-goers. Malone's richly colored, opaque watercolors embellish the dancers' magic by showing flying snowflake women and a mouse king who is more villainously rodent-like than the usual stage version. While some figures are a little stiff, this book, which comes with a CD, provides a good entry-point before attending a performance as well as a chance to relive the experience afterward.
(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
November 1, 2008
Children preparing to attend a holiday performance of The Nutcracker will find this a helpful introduction to the beloved ballet. The text follows the ballet's plot in straightforward chronological order, but this retelling ends (a little too soon) with Marie (and her prince) still in the Land of Sweets, just before Marie wakes up from her dream. The smoothly written story introduces all the major characters and dancers and includes dialogue that helps to clarify the plot. Malone's watercolor illustrations are done in a muted palette with hazy lighting, emphasizing the 19th-century setting and the mysterious, dreamy aspects of the story; the colors and lighting brighten to delineate the magical nature of the Land of Sweets. Some of the main characters are illustrated more as actors in a play rather than as ballet dancers; the Sugar Plum Fairy, for example, is shown as a fairy with wings and bare feet, rather than as a ballerina with pointe shoes. A full-page author's note gives a brief performance history of the ballet, and a fully orchestrated CD of the complete ballet is included. (Picture book. 4-8)
(COPYRIGHT (2008) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)