What a lovely Christmas treat this book is, from the beautifully designed cover, to the Foreword by the translator Sarah Ardizzone all add to the richly dark, yet magical tale within. As you read the Foreword you realise this story has existed in different forms for centuries; the telling and re-telling of ’The Story of a Nutcracker' has almost taken on a life of its own. Alexandre Dumas has re-told E.T.A Hoffman’s 1816 ‘Nutcracker and the Mouse King’ and he in turn may have taken his inspiration from folk tales born in Eastern Europe. Dumas’s story is not a sugary sweet tale, it is slightly unnerving yet exciting, and full of strange and wondrous beings. As I discovered a story, within a story, within a story, and explored the wonder of Christmas past, then joined adventures to mysterious and spellbinding places, I relived the enchantment of childhood fairytales, that delivered a moral with a wicked little bite. This is a must for giving and sharing at any time of the year. ~ Liz Robinson
Discover the real story behind Disney's latest blockbuster adaptation The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, and the iconic Nutcracker Christmas ballet, as told by Alexandre Dumas
'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 evil 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.
