“Illustrated with rich, painterly precision and dreamlike details that echo the story’s shifts from reality to fantasy...A gorgeously made edition.” – School Library Journal

Raecke (The Fisherman and His Wife) impressively adapts Hoffmann’s original story of the Nutcracker, using evocative yet accessible language to bring the story to a picture book audience….full of intriguing images that readers will want to study closely. Raecke leaves readers with Marie’s realization that “the most truly marvelous things may be seen—if only people choose to look,” a message worth remembering throughout the year. – Publishers Weekly