Nutcracker Week: Susan Jeffers

Today for Nutcracker week, I offer the picture book by Susan Jeffers, The Nutcracker.

This is one of my favorite versions because the simple, short prose makes it easy to share with young childrena and the illustrations are just lovely. Jeffers has illustrated several fairy tales over the years and several other "winter" or holiday tales. Her version of Silent Night is my favorite to share with children and their parents.


Here are some reviews, courtesty of Amazon:

"Energetic and child-friendly...Jeffers’s soft watercolors...capture both the drama of the classic story and the elegance of choreography." -- Publishers Weekly

"Jeffers’ lush watercolors...will wholly satisfy families...this treatment will earn curtain calls galore." -- ALA Booklist

"Skillfully retold with just a few lines of text per page...an excellent introduction to the ballet for younger children." -- Kirkus Reviews

"[Jeffers’s] romantic, detail-rich illustrations are based on the Balanchine ballet...Jeffers offers a satisfying extension" -- The Horn Book

I didn't have many images to share from this book, but do look for it at your bookstore or library. My sister and her husband have a collection of holiday books, one to read each night of the month up to Christmas as a literary advent calendar. This is the version of The Nutcracker I recommend for such a collection.