The nutcracker's Night before Christmas

Keith Brockett

Book - 2015

"In The Nutcracker's Night Before Christmas preparations for a doomed stage production of the classic ballet goes from terribly bad to ridiculously worse. But it's Christmas Eve and help is on the way!"--Provided by the publisher.

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Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
Ann Arbor, MI : Sleeping Bear Press 2015.
Language
English
Main Author
Keith Brockett (-)
Other Authors
Joseph Cowman (illustrator)
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 27 cm
ISBN
9781585368891
Contents unavailable.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Brockett, a former professional ballet dancer, and Cowman mix holiday metaphors with aplomb, blending Clement C. Moore-style verse with the story of an ill-fated production of The Nutcracker. As a cast of children prepares for opening night, plenty is stirring on the set-none of it good: "The spotlights had fallen-the stage was left dim/ and Clara spilled grape juice all over the scrim." After the set's Christmas tree comes crashing down, the cast is ready to call the show off, but Santa-who whooshes down the set's chimney in a shower of sparks and stars-saves the day with the help of his energetic elves. Brockett does a fine job of putting a theatrical spin on Moore's original verse, and Cowman has clearly had fun capturing the travails of this star-crossed production. Ages 6-8. Author's agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-The night before the Christmas day performance of The Nutcracker, disaster strikes. The programs are misprinted. Costumes are torn. The stagehands get sick. Fortunately, Santa and his elves are on hand to save the day. Told in the familiar anapestic tetrameter of Clement Moore's "Twas the Night Before Christmas," this mash-up of the two Christmas classics may appeal to children who are familiar with both. This is not a retelling of The Nutcracker story, although the illustrations do portray cute multiracial children dressed in traditional costumes for the ballet. VERDICT Additional holiday fare.-Virginia Walter UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

On The Nutcracker's opening night, chaos spreads backstage in a litany of costume, set, and prop problems. It looks as though the show will be canceled--but then St. Nicholas and the (actual) Sugar-Plum Fairy come to the rescue. This ballet-centric parody capably follows the cadence and rhyme scheme of "The Night Before Christmas." Humor and holiday wonder infuse the text and dynamic illustrations. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

A Christmas Eve performance of The Nutcracker ballet runs amok with multiple mishaps but is saved in the nick of time by the arrival on set of Santa Claus and his elves. The familiar rhyme and rhythm of "The Night Before Christmas" serve as the structure for this clever melding of two beloved holiday stories. An all-child cast is about to perform The Nutcracker, but the day of the performance is filled with mishaps, from torn tutus to sick stagehands to a broken nutcracker. Santa and the elves fix everything and even lend the sleigh and reindeer to the Sugarplum Fairy to use in the performance. The play is performed on Christmas Eve, and Santa steps on stage during curtain calls for "a rollicking round of applause." Large-format illustrations with a double-spread format and horizontal orientation ably capture the backstage and onstage scenes. The multiethnic children who make up the cast seem a little too young to be putting on The Nutcracker, but the roly-poly kids are undeniably cute in their mouse and flower costumes. Two final pages include a plot summary of The Nutcracker and a glossary of ballet terms. This adroit amalgamation of two beloved Christmas stories will be best appreciated by children already familiar with both tales rather than as an introduction to The Nutcracker ballet. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.