Rita Balducci - The Nutcracker

Text copyright 1991, 2014 by Random House LLC. Illustrations copyright 2014 by Sheilah Beckett. All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Golden Books, an imprint of Random House Childrens Books, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Golden Books, A Golden Book, A Little Golden Book, the G colophon, and the distinctive gold spine are registered trademarks of Random House LLC.
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2013946781
eBook ISBN 978-0-375-98162-3
Hardcover ISBN 978-0-385-36993-0

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O nce there was a little girl named Clara whose family was having a wonderful party on a snowy Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas! she said as she greeted each guest.

The last guest to arrive was Claras godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer. All the children loved him very much because he was a toymaker and a wonderful storyteller. Clara thought he could even perform magic!

Merry Christmas, Clara, he said, presenting her with a heavy package.

Merry Christmasand thank you! Clara cried, lifting a large wooden nutcracker from the wrappings. He looks like a very brave soldier, she said.

And so he is, Herr Drosselmeyer replied.

Just then the musicians began to play a lively tune, and all the grown-ups began to dance.

Clara carried her nutcracker over to where her cousins and friends were all playing with their new toys.

Holding him carefully, she softly hummed a Christmas carol. All of a sudden Claras little brother, Fritz, jumped up from behind her chair and grabbed the nutcracker.

No, Fritz, no! Clara cried, chasing him. Soon all the children were running after Fritz. But the nutcracker was very heavy, and Fritz was a very little boy. The nutcracker crashed to the floor and broke.

Clara sadly picked up her injured nutcracker and showed him to Herr Drosselmeyer.

Why, Clara, he said, tying his handkerchief around the nutcrackers broken jaw, many good soldiers get hurt in battle. This will be his bandage, and you will be his nurse. And he wiped her tears away and handed the nutcracker back to her.

Clara was a good little nurse. She gently tucked the nutcracker into the dolls bed she had received as a Christmas present. She stayed by his side until all the guests had gone home. Then she kissed him good night and went up to bed.

But Clara could not stop thinking about her nutcracker. So back downstairs she crept, and lifted him from the little bed. Then she curled up on the sofa and fell asleep with the nutcracker in her arms.

While Clara was sleeping, Herr Drosselmeyer came into the room. He quietly took the handkerchief off the nutcrackers jaw and gently waved it over Clara and her new toy. Suddenly the nutcracker was transformed into a handsome prince, standing guard over Clara while she slept.

Later that night Clara woke up. The house, the tree, and the toys seemed to be getting larger. Tremendous mice were running all over the room. Then she saw the prince bravely battling a mouse wearing a crown.

Leave him alone! Clara shouted at the wicked mice. She jumped off the sofa and threw her slipper at the Mouse King, hitting him squarely on the head. He fell to the floor, and the other mice ran off, carrying their leader.

Thank you for your help, Clara, said the prince, picking up the crown that had fallen from the Mouse Kings head. I would like to invite you to the Land of Sweets to meet the Sugar Plum Fairy, who is ruling there until I return.

The prince placed the crown upon Claras head, and her nightgown changed into a beautiful shimmering dress.

Together they stepped outside. The falling snow whisked around them in a pretty white dance as they traveled in a magical sleigh to the beautiful Land of Sweets.

When Clara and the prince arrived, they were greeted by the beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy. The prince told her about the battle with the giant mice and how Clara had saved him from the Mouse King.