The Nutcracker is a Christmas favourite and this edition is superb. The cover is bright with plenty of red and gold – festive colours. Inside there are five double pages of text on one side and vibrant pop-up scenes on the other. The pop-up artwork is multi-layered and repays close scrutiny. First we see Clara and Frederick arguing about the wooden soldier toy. The next scene is the duel where the nutcracker toy comes alive and fights King Mouse. Then we see dancing in the Garden of Delights with the Sugar Plum Fairy, followed by the Kingdom of Sweets with dancers from China, Russia and Spain. My favourite pop-up is the final scene where Clara leaves her adventure on a reindeer-drawn sleigh, wondering if it had been real or a dream.
The text is in rhyme which means it reads well aloud.
Clara is transported, as if in a trance,
To a beautiful garden, where Cossacks dance.
Suddenly, the Sugar Plum Fairy is here –
She whirls and she twirls with her brave cavalier.
A delightful, joyous book, full of colour, magic, action and surprise. There is plenty to entertain and enjoy.
Brenda Marshall
The Nutcracker by Patricia Hegarty
Illustrated by Imogen Joy
Little Tiger Press
ISBN 9781801048491
£14.99
Published 2026
