The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a retelling of the famous story by Hoffmann, illustrated by Ian Beck, and is based on the storyline of the much-loved children’s ballet, in which Clara’s nutcracker soldier takes her to meet the Mouse King and the sugar-plum Fairy.
Sadly, The Nutcracker is no longer available, although you may be able to find secondhand copies on Amazon or elsewhere.
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Soon it will be Christmas. The tree has arrived, and brings the scent of forests into my room. I unpack the box of decorations: coloured candles, bright globes and a fairy which will be placed at the very top.
The Nutcracker was also published in the Netherlands and South Korea.
The original story of The Nutcracker was written by ETW Hoffman, a German writer (1776–1822). It was made into a Russian ballet in 1892, to the music of Tchaikovsky, and has become one of the best-loved stories ever told. A couple of years ago a BBC producer called Anne-Marie Maher asked me if I would write a retelling of the story for Radio 4, as one of a series of stories based on famous ballets. As I wrote it I could see how it might be illustrated, as it is so full of colour and atmosphere and drama, and I am thrilled that Doubleday decided to publish it, and to invite the very popular artist Ian Beck to illustrate it. It’s a lovely thought, isn’t it, that one idea could move from story, to ballet, to a radio story, to a picture book!
A sensitive retelling of the events of that magical Christmas Eve through the voice of Clara… The wonder, excitement and strangeness are all there… Ian Beck’s distinctive illustrations powerfully capture the changes of mood from the material to the magical world in this beautifully designed book.
Kate Agnew, The Bookseller
Perhaps you could write a story about a toy that comes to life and takes you to magical land.