The Nutcracker. This item is unavailable.The Nutcracker

Each December, generations of children delight in the ballet version of the quintessential Christmas story The Nutcracker. But few have had the opportunity to revel in the richly detailed original tale. Now, in this glorious new edition, acclaimed children's book author and editor Janet Schulman returns to the source'E.T.A. Hoffmann's “The Nutcracker and the King of Mice.” Here we meet Marie, her Nutcracker, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and all the other delightful characters, and we discover the answers to questions left unanswered by the ballet, like why the Nutcracker and the King of Mice were enemies.

Artist Renée Graef adds her own enchantment with stunning, jewellike paintings that bring the story thrillingly to life. As an added bonus, this must-have Christmas gift also includes a free audio CD with Tchaikovsky's inimitable musical score and a reading of the complete story by actress Claire Bloom.

Janet Schulman has worked in children's book publishing for nearly forty years and is currently Editor-at-Large and Division Vice President of Random House and Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers. She is the author of many books for children and is the editor of The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury: Celebrated Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud. Ms. Schulman lives in New York City.

Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann (1776–1822) was a German author, artist, and composer who is best remembered for his story “The Nutcracker and the King of Mice.”

Renée Graef received her bachelor's degree in art from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She is the illustrator of numerous titles in the Little House publishing program, as well as Rodgers and Hammerstein's My Favorite Things and E.T.A Hoffman's The Nutcracker, adapted by Janet Schulman. She lives in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, with her husband and two children.