The Nutcracker

Renee Graef

This is the time of year for reading the beloved story by E.T.A. Hoffman ~ The Nutcracker. 

It is upon Hoffman's tale that The Nutcracker Ballet is based.  

Music by Tschaikovsky, choreography by Balanchine.

I have precious memories of taking my daughter to see this play when she was a little girl.
We'll have to go again. A sweet, Christmas-y night out.

Here's a brief synopsis:
The setting is a grand house in Gemany, home of the Stahlbaum family. A Christmas Eve party is underway, when Clara's godfather Drosselmeyer arrives. His gift to her is a beautifully hand carved nutcracker. At midnight, strange and magical things start to happen. An army of mice appear and the nutcracker becomes a prince. Clara and the prince visit the Land of Snow and the Land of Sweets, and meet the lovely Sugarplum Fairy.

The Nutcracker has been illustrated in a wide variety of styles. 

Some traditional, some very modern. It's all rich, colorful, gorgeous artwork! 

Enjoy these many delightful versions as the warmth of this well-loved story comes through!

Lisa K. Weber

Maurice Sendak

Lisa Evans

Artus Scheiner

John Aardema

Emma L. Brock

Diane Goode

Carl Offterdinger

Peter Malone

Maria Mikhalskaya

Rob Viera

Pim Pimlada

Don Daily

Natasha Tabatchikova

Gale de Marcken

Susan Jeffers

Roberto Innocenti

Lisbeth Zwerger

Julie Paschkis