This book is a simplified retelling of the story of The Nutcracker. As with all books in this series it uses simple text (only 66 words) that are repetitive in the book itself as well as the series (Beginning to Read). It tells the story of a young girl who gets a nutcracker for a gift. After she wakes up to get him, she realizes that he is being attacked by a mouse, and saves his life by throwing her shoe at him. After she saves him, she is taken on a magical adventure with delicious treats to eat and beautiful things to see.

This book should make young readers feel positive about their reading skills. The illustrations, which are colourful and well drawn, also help to decode the text for young children. This would be a great book for young readers who have seen this ballet or are familiar with the story. As with other books in this series, there are several activities and suggestions that parents can use with their children to reinforce their reading skills. A good book to have in a primary classroom or a family library where the children are just learning to read.

This is a great, easy version of a story that the kids will probably come across every year. For young kids, this would be a good way to introduce the ballet. Even if they don’t have the opportunity to see the ballet, this is a Margaret Hillert book. There’s no way it won’t be checked out year round.