The Story of a Nutcracker

Be transported to another world this Christmas with this new version of Alexandre Dumas's well-loved tale of a toy that comes to life.'How could you imagine, silly child, that this toy, which is made of cloth and wood, could possibly be alive?'The nutcracker doll that mysterious Godfather Drosselmeyer gives to little Marie for Christmas is no ordinary toy. On Christmas Eve, as the clocks strike midnight, Marie watches as the Nutcracker and her entire cabinet of playthings come to life and boldly do battle against the malevolent Mouse King and his armies.But this is only the start of the tale.Read on for enchantment and transformation; enter a world by turns fantastical and sinister, a kingdom of dolls and spun-sugar palaces, and learn the true history of the brave little Nutcracker.Adapted from a dark fairy-tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann, Alexandre Dumas' romance of childhood imagination inspired Tchaikovsky's world-famous ballet. Brilliantly adapted by translator Sarah Ardizzone and illuminated by Kitty Arden, this is the perfect Christmas gift for readers of all ages.

“"For all its darkness, [ The Nutcracker ] appeals to parents and their children because it's like one of those glowing glass globes that you can shake and see the snow swirl. It's a dream bubble, a vision of middle-class happiness and fantasy that precedes the Russian Revolution and all the horrors of the last century and this one. That world may have faded, but it is still our sweetest dream."”

A family story that everyone can enjoy Guardian
For all its darkness, [The Nutcracker] appeals to parents and their children because it's like one of those glowing glass globes that you can shake and see the snow swirl. It's a dream bubble, a vision of middle-class happiness and fantasy that precedes the Russian Revolution and all the horrors of the last century and this one. That world may have faded, but it is still our sweetest dream New York Times
An enduring Christmas classic Daily Telegraph
Like Hansel And Gretel, The Nutcracker is a slightly dark story, but it s also magical...a world of childhood imagination Glasgow Herald
Like Hansel And Gretel, The Nutcracker is a slightly dark story, but it s also magical...a world of childhood imagination Glasgow Herald

Alexandre Dumas was born on 24 July 1802 near Paris. His father, who was the son of a French marquis and a former slave, died when Alexandre was three years old. He was brought up by his mother and later moved to Paris to work as a clerk. He became a playwright, historian and prolific novelist, penning a string of successful and celebrated books including The Three Musketeers (1844) and The Count of Monte Cristo (1844-5), as well as a keen traveller and cook. Dumas died on 5 December 1870, remarking of Death, 'I shall tell her a story, and she shall be kind to me.'Sarah Ardizzone is an award-winning translator. She received the Scott-Moncrieff Prize in 2007 for her translation of Faiza Gu ne's Just Like Tomorrow, and has twice won the Marsh Prize for Children's Literature in Translation, in 2005 for Daniel Pennac's Eye of the Wolf and in 2009 for Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle. Her recent highly praised translations include Joann Sfar's graphic novel version of The Little Prince, which was a New York Times Notable Book. She lives in South London.Kitty Arden is a prolific artist, international designer and florist. She has exhibited at the Royal Academy and more recently at The Long Museum in Shanghai. She designs sets, textiles and ceramics, as well as the packaging for Royal Warrant holding chocolatier Prestat. She designed the flowers on The Royal Barge for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

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