Deborah Hautzig - The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet

Text copyright 1983 by Random House, Inc. Illustrations copyright 1986 by Diane Goode. Cover illustration copyright 2006 by Diane Goode. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House Childrens Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hautzig, Deborah. The story of the Nutcracker Ballet. SUMMARY: Relates the story of the popular ballet, in which a little girl travels with the Nutcracker Prince to the Land of Sweets. 1. Nutcracker (Ballet)Juvenile literature. [1. Nutcracker (Ballet). 2. BalletsStories, plots, etc.] I. Goode, Diane, ill. II. Title. GV1790.N8H38 1986 792.842 85-30149

ISBN-13: 978-0-394-88178-2 (trade)
ISBN-10: 0-394-88178-8 (trade)
ISBN: 978-0-307-97645-1 (ebk)

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I t was Christmas Eve and Marie and her brother, Fritz, could hardly wait for the party to start. At last the guests arrived. The drawing room doors were flung open and a brilliance of light and color flooded the hall.

Oh! Its the most beautiful Christmas tree in the world! cried the children.

Hundreds of tiny candles twinkled like stars, and all sorts of sparkling ornaments and delicious things to eat hung from the branches. Under the tree were so many presents that the children didnt know what to look at first!

Fritz grabbed a toy horse head mounted on a chestnut stick and galloped wildly around the room.

Marie showed everyone her lovely china doll.

Godpapa Drosselmeir brought out his special gifts. He opened a tremendous box and out stepped a life-size toy soldier! Drosselmeir wound it up, and everyone watched in awe as it marched around the room.

Next a toy Harlequin and Columbine stepped out of their giant boxes. Drosselmeir wound them up and they danced together! The children clapped their hands in delight.

Then Drosselmeir got out from under the tree his gift for Marie and gave it to her. It was a wooden nutcracker shaped like a little man, with a white cotton beard and a cheerful smile from ear to ear. Though it was a small gift, it was the one Marie loved best of all.

Fritz called the nutcracker an ugly fellow and crammed the largest walnut into the poor nutcrackers mouth. Crack, crackthree teeth fell out.

Stop it, Fritz! Youre hurting him! cried Marie as she snatched the nutcracker from her brother and cradled him in her arms.

Keep your broken nutcracker, snorted Fritz. Whats the good of a nutcracker who cant do his job?

Drosselmeir gave Marie his handkerchief, and she gently tied it around the nutcrackers jaw. Marie vowed to protect the little wooden man forever.

Late that night, after the party was over and everyone was in bed, Marie crept quietly downstairs to the drawing room. The grandfather clock struck midnight. Marie stared at the chiming clock when suddenly Godpapa Drosselmeir appeared sitting at the top!

Godfather! What a fright youve given me! cried Marie.

But before she could say another word, the most amazing thing happened.

The tree began to grow bigger and bigger, and the windows and toys and everything in the room grew with it. Now Marie seemed no bigger than a toy the size of the nutcracker!

Just then Marie was surrounded by an army of mice. Led by their king, they drew their swords and marched right up to the toy cupboard to challenge their enemy.

Drums beat, trumpets blared! It was the toys call to arms. Soldiers, puppets, dolls, and even candy people rushed out. Then out of the cupboard leaped the nutcracker, flourishing his sword and leading the toys to battle.

Rank after rank of mice appeared. Marie watched in horror as the nutcrackers small army was driven back. At last three mice seized the nutcrackers sword.

Now I have you! squealed the king of mice.

Marie could stand it no longer. Oh, my poor nutcracker! she cried. Then she threw her left shoe as hard as she could, directly at the king of mice. Instantly the mice disappeared as if by magic.