The Nutcracker Picture Books

Susan Jeffers

Someone asked in a children's book Facebook group for suggestions of books that tell the story of The Nutcracker Ballet. You can read the plot here.  I borrowed a few from a school library. Many of them didn't appeal to me but I do like the work of Jane Ray and Susan Jeffers. Then I did a little digging and found some other gorgeous versions. I won't retell the story here but of course these picture books are all abridged versions of the original novella by E.T.A. Hoffmann. Here are some book covers and you are sure to recognise some of these very famous illustrators.

Lisbeth Zwerger

Jan Brett

Maurice Sendak

Jane Ray

Robert Ingpen

Mary Engelbreit

Roberto Innocenti

Ritva Voutila

Ian Beck

Sea in Winter by Christine Day

Author blurb: It’s been a hard year for Maisie Cannon, ever since she hurt her leg and could not keep up with her ballet training and auditions. Her blended family is loving and supportive, but Maisie knows that they just can’t understand how hopeless she feels. With everything she’s dealing with, Maisie is not excited for their family midwinter road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up. But soon, Maisie’s anxieties and dark moods start to hurt as much as the pain in her knee. How can she keep pretending to be strong when on the inside she feels as roiling and cold as the ocean?

Maisie lives in Seattle. Her mum is Makah from Washington State, her dad was Piscataway and he grew up in Baltimore. Sadly her dad was killed in Afghanistan. Her new step dad is an enrolled citizen of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and he great up in Port Angeles. Over the course of their road trip Jack tells Maisie and her brother Connor stories of the ancestors but the main focus of this story is on Maisie's ballet accident and her hopes to be a performer some time in the near future. Then she has a second accident and the story becomes one about accepting change and finding a new path.

Awards for this book:

• An American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book!
• A Finalist for the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Book Award!
• Washington State Representative at the National Book Festival!
• Top 10 in the Winter 2020-2021 Kids’ Indie Next List!
• A Junior Library Guild Selection!
• A School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, BookPage, and American Indians in Children’s Literature (AICL) Best Book of 2021!
• A Politics and Prose Children & Teens Favorite of 2021!
• An Indigo Books Best Kids Book of the Year!

An insightful, stirring read about healing and resilience. Kirkus

It’s important to note that that the book itself is also historic as it is part of the first list of books to be published by Heartdrum—a Native-focused imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books, which offers stories about young Native heroes by Native and First Nations’ authors and illustrators. The Children's Book Review

Christine Day’s writing is always quiet, poignant, and insightful, and The Sea in Winter is especially so. Maisie is a deeply introspective character whose suffering will be deeply felt by all who read this book. Yet, this book manages to be uplifting with the help of Maisie’s brother Connor and her warm, loving family and friends. Reading Middle Grade

The Secret Starling by Judith Eagle

Clara is living under a dreadful regime controlled by her uncle. There is no happiness in her life. She is educated by a succession of awful governesses and must remain quiet at all times. She is forced to visit her uncle in his study each evening where he asks the same questions and clearly does not listen to her replies. Clara's only friends are Cook and James the butler/handyman. As the story begins Clara has noticed things are going missing from Braithwaite Manor - paintings and ornaments. Then one day her uncle tells Clara to pack a case of "indispensables". Her uncle then bundles her into the car and drives into the town. When they arrive he stops the car and tells her to go and visit Cook. He takes her suitcase out of the car and drives away. Clara realises he is never coming back when she discovers two hundred pounds in her pocket.

After years of sadness Clara now sees an opportunity for fun. She heads back to Braithwaite Manor with plans to live there alone but when she arrives she finds a boy called Peter waiting on the door step. Who is the boy? Why has he come to her home? How does he know her uncle? These two will need to team up to solve so many mysteries including the puzzle of Clara's parents.

The Secret Starling is the best of mysteries. The evil characters are brilliant and the twists and turns of plot keep you on your toes. I read this book in one sitting and I didn't guess the ending until Chapter 25!

My favourite part of this story was near the beginning. Clara does not know how to cook. Before she left the house Cook has told her very briefly how to boil an egg and how to prepare potatoes. When Peter is standing on the doorstep deciding to come into the manor I had my fingers crossed that he would know how to cook - and YES he does. Their first meal together is a delight even though they only have eggs and potatoes.

I also loved the mayhem caused by Clara, Peter and their new village friends as they romp around the house. They slide down the banisters, play sardines, make forts from furniture and draw on the walls inside the spaces that once held paintings of long dead ancestors.

Who are these children?
Clara has been told her mother died when Clara was born and that her father does not know about her existence. Her Uncle, Edward Starling, has been put in charge of her care.  Among her keepsakes Clara has a red ribbon that once belonged to her mother. Her birthday is in January. Nearly all of this is untrue.

Peter has been told he was found at Charing Cross railway station and that a kind lady called Mrs Trimble, who had been cleaning the station that day, adopted him. Mrs Trimble's neighbour, Stella is a friend of Edward Starling, and because Mrs Trimble is unwell, Stella has asked Mr Starling to look after Peter for a few weeks.  Clara sees Peter with a red ribbon and she is sure he must have taken it from her shell box. His birthday is in April. Most of this is true but not all.

I saw this book in London a couple of months ago. The cover looked interesting and the endorsement by Emma Carroll said "an absolute joy of a read." I am so glad I bought myself a copy of this book last week.

Here is an interview with Judith Eagle - she mentions Pippi Longstocking and when you read this book I'm sure you will agree Clara and Pippi have a lot in common. Judith also mentions The Umbrella Mouse, The Garden of Lost Secrets (I have read this one but haven't talked about it here yet) and The Good Thieves. My copy of The Secret Starling also has an interview with Judith and she lists her all time favourite children's books as Emil and the Detectives (I am about to re-read this because I will see a theatre production later in the year), From the Mixed up files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler, Thursdays Child by Noel Streatfeild and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.


This is a great adventure mystery that manages to have an old fashioned air about it but will also appeal to contemporary readers. Book Bag

In Eagle’s fictional world, nothing and nobody is as they seem to Clara, and she has to learn whom to trust, and delve into her own knowledge and past to discover who she really is. In the end though, no matter what era the children are living through, the same attributes hold inherent value: truth, love and loyalty. Minerva Reads

No Ballet Shoes in Syria by Catherine Bruton

"If you go to a new country because your home is dangerous, 

then you ask for 'asylum'. It means a safe place."

"And if the country will let you stay - then you are a refugee."

"Refugee meant safety, it meant staying. It meant a future."

Aya has arrived in Manchester from Aleppo. Sitting at the community centre waiting for the family case worker, Aya hears the sounds of a ballet lesson coming from a room upstairs. Back in Syria Aya had loved her ballet classes. Dance brings her great joy. She leaves her silent mother and baby brother and moves quietly upstairs so she can see the lesson. "There was no sand on the floor, and the sky through the windows was English blue, not Syrian gold, but otherwise Aya could have been back in Aleppo. Back at home - before the war - before everything."

Home for this refugee family is a hotel. They may be deported. Daily life is a heart-wrenching struggle.

"They hadn't been able to bring much when they left Syria. They had fled in a hurry with only the clothes they were wearing and one bag each. Sometimes Aya thought of her room back at home and all the treasures she liked to collect. ... In comparison, this room - with its single lightbulb, bare walls, ripped curtains and the damp patch on the ceiling - felt more like a prison cell than a home."

It seems impossible that Aya will be able to join this ballet class and through this find friends and even more importantly that her family will find a way to stay in this new country.

I mentioned in a previous post - this book is a five start (ten out of ten) book!

It seems odd to be drawn to ballet stories when I have no dancing skill or experience but I have been reading ballet stories since I was very young. I especially adored the Lorna Hill Sadler's Wells stories and I was delighted to see Catherine Bruton mentioned this in her afterword. Catherine also read many other books as a child such as The Silver Sword and When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit and says "I discovered there was a new kind of book to love - stories that could open your eyes, change the way you saw the world, make you ask questions, expand your horizons, enrich your soul - switch on lightbulbs in your head!"  The beautiful thing about this quote is that this is exactly what Catherine's book No Ballet Shoes in Syria did for me.  Of course No Ballet Shoes in Syria is SO much more than a ballet story as you can see from my opening quote.

Here is a set of discussion notes. It would be great to use this book as part of a young reader book club.

You can hear Catherine Bruton describe why and how she wrote this book and here Catherine reads chapter one from her book.

The inclusion of regular flashbacks describing Aya’s former life and her journey to the UK are hugely powerful, making the horrors of civil war and the dangers of the journey frighteningly real. The detail in these scenes is impressive and, without preaching, they will serve to raise awareness in readers. Madge Eekal Reviews

This nuanced gentle portrayal of a young Syrian girl is a fantastic read and an eye-opening book. Minerva Reads

Ballerina dreams by Michaela Elaine DePrince pictures by Ella Okstad

I am on the hunt for easy to read beginning chapter books WITH a worthwhile/good/engaging story.  I have found one here.  This little book ticks quite a  few boxes

• Ballerina Dreams is a true story (read more at the back of the book)
• Ballerina Dreams is about ballet which is a popular subject with young students
• Ballerina Dreams is very easy to read but does not use simplified language
• Ballerina Dreams has perfect and colourful illustrations
• Ballerina Dreams contains real emotions

Michaela lives in Sierra Leone. Blowing in the wind one day she finds a magazine picture of a beautiful ballerina :

"She wore a short pink dress that stuck out around her in a circle. She had pink shoes on her feet and stood on the tips of her toes. She looked very happy."

Michaela now dreams of ballet. But she lives in an orphanage in one of the poorest countries in the world and worse she has a skin condition called vitiligo which means she has white marks on her brown skin.  The wonderful thing is the way none of these things matter.  Michaela is adopted by Elaine DePrince in America.  She attends ballet classes and through hard work and determination achieves success at the highest level.  You can read more about this here.  Adult ballet fans might also enjoy the book Hope in a Ballet Shoe.  My friend at Kinderbookboard has a good selection of other ballet stories for you children to enjoy.

At its heart is the core message that hard work and determination are the keys to making any dream come true.   Kirkus

Ballerina Dreams is a wonderfully uplifting story about what must have been a truly difficult upbringing. Yet, it is told in such a gentle manner that always leaves room for hope and understanding.   Read and Seek

Clair de Lune by Cassandra Golds

Sorry to have to say this again but this treasure is out of print!  A couple of weeks ago a mum called into our library with her daughter.  Clair de Lune was selected by the child and I mentioned to the mum that I had loved this book.  I recommended she might read it.  Sadly I do not know if the mum took my advice but when Clair de Lune returned I noticed our copy is really worn out.  The paper has gone yellow and the cover is about to fall off.  I felt sad that I had recommended a book in such bad shape and then I worried that I had been too hasty.  I read this book 12 years ago.  Perhaps it was not really special.

I bought our worn copy home,  set about finding a second hand copy (more about that in a moment) and then I sat down to re-read Clair de Lune.  And YES I loved it all over again.

Here is the blurb :

"Clair de Lune has lived all her life with her grandmother at the top of a tall, very narrow, very old building.  Her mother, a great ballerina, died on stage when Clair-de-Lune was a baby.  Ever since that day, Clair-de-Lune has not uttered a word."

I have no connection to ballet but oddly I gasped out loud when I read this interview with Cassandra Golds by The Australia Ballet. Cassandra tells the interviewer that as a child she loved the Lorna Hill books about the Sadler's Wells ballet - me too!  I still think about the way the girls went to little cafes and ordered 'ices'.  They sounded delicious but I still have no idea what they were.

Clair de Lune meets a special mouse called Bonaventure.  He is a dancer too.  He is also astute, compassionate, kind and determined. He introduces Clair de Lune to a reclusive monk and these two unique friends help Clair de Lune find her 'voice'.  You can read more of the plot here.

You might also enjoy The Tale of Despereaux, Ballet shoes by Noel Streatfeild and  Secret letters from 0 to 10,   Take a minute to read my review of another book by Cassandra Golds  The three loves of Persimmon.

Finally back to the adventure of buying a second hand copy of this book.  Cassandra Golds is an Australian author but I have located a copy in Indiana.  The book is on its way and I know this because it wrote me a letter :

"Holy canasta! It's me... it's me! I can't believe it is actually me! You could have picked any of over 2 million books but you picked me! I've got to get packed! How is the weather where you live? Will I need a dust jacket? I can't believe I'm leaving Mishawaka, Indiana already - the friendly people, the Hummer plant, the Linebacker Lounge - so many memories. I don't have much time to say goodbye to everyone, but it's time to see the world!

I can't wait to meet you! You sound like such a well read person. Although, I have to say, it sure has taken you a while! I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but how would you like to spend five months sandwiched between Jane Eyre (drama queen) and Fundamentals of Thermodynamics (pyromaniac)? At least Jane was an upgrade from that stupid book on brewing beer. How many times did the ol' brewmaster have one too many and topple off our shelf at 2am?

I know the trip to meet you will be long and fraught with peril, but after the close calls I've had, I'm ready for anything (besides, some of my best friends are suspense novels). Just five months ago, I thought I was a goner. My owner was moving and couldn't take me with her. I was sure I was landfill bait until I ended up in a Better World Books book drive bin. Thanks to your socially conscious book shopping, I've found a new home. Even better, your book buying dollars are helping kids read from Brazil to Botswana."

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

When I saw ABC Television would screen The Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild I knew I wanted to re-read this childhood classic before the screening. This is the book Meg Ryan talked about in “You’ve got mail” when her exquisite book store “The shop around the corner” has been closed. My copy of this book is very old and the print size is far too small for the modern reader and yet I do feel the story does pass the test of time. 

The three girls, unrelated, living in the home of Gum (Great Uncle Matthew) and Sylvia are lucky that some interesting borders have come to live in this large rambling house. Each adds a special magic to the destinies of the three girls. There is a dancing teacher (perfect for Posy), two retired academics (who can train Pauline) and a motor enthusiast (so Petrova can pursue her passion). 

I read this book when I was a child because I wanted to read ballet stories but I have to say this is not really a book about ballet, rather it is about the whole range of performing arts including drama and recitation and it is a story about growing up and finding talents. I did enjoy the BBC production especially after such a recent re-reading of the novel I could see the way they adapted the plot to include all the major incidents in a nicely paced story. 

You can read more about Noel Streatfeild and other productions of this book and a little of the history of this writer who won the Carnegie Medal. I did find the ending disappointing because this time I really wanted a sequel. Thinking the story might continue I have just read Ballet Shoes for Anna but it is a totally unrelated story except for the references to ballet. This is the last book written by Noel Streatfeild who died in 1986. This second story does make a good read but the dialogue annoyed me. Noel's  attempts at writing broken English were not very successful. I do think, however, that Middle Primary readers will enjoy Ballet shoes for Anna even though the ending is predictable, The story has so much tension and this makes the plot move along very quickly. If you thought the Dursleys were horrible to Harry Potter you need to meet The Uncle - Cecil - he is totally horrible!

Here are some more covers for Ballet Shoes: