FICTION

The Nutcracker & the Mouse King

by Renate RAECKE
, retel. tr. from German by Anthea Bell. illus. by Yana Sedova. 36p. Minedition. Oct. 2016. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9789888341276.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 3—This picture book retelling of the original Hoffmann tale, which was written 200 years ago, is illustrated with rich, painterly precision and dreamlike details that echo the story's shifts from reality to fantasy. Gears and clockwork elements appear throughout, and the seven-headed Mouse King is particularly realistic, down to the whiskers. The storytelling is straightforward, and neither the battle scene nor the foray to Candytown is very long or graphic.
VERDICT A gorgeously made edition for collectors and literature experts.
Reviewed by Virginia Walter, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies
On Christmas Eve, young Marie and the Nutcracker Prince journey to "Candytown" in a dream--or was it? Simple but vivid language retells the classic tale. Sedova's stylized, jewel-toned illustrations are rich with texture and detail, including clockwork (in homage to Drosselmeier's toy-making) and Christmas tree–ornament motifs throughout. An afterword gives some background on Hoffmann's story and its many adaptations.
 , Oct 01, 2016

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