The Nutcracker Mice

A young mouse must save her production of The Nutcracker in a charming holiday tale from the author of The Gingerbread Pirates and the illustrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Hidden in Saint Petersburg’s famed Mariinsky Theater are the world’s tiniest ballet fans: the Mariinsky mice, including Esmeralda, a rising dancer in the Russian Mouse Ballet Company. Despite being unable to control her tail, Esmeralda has just been assigned the lead role of Clara in a new ballet debuting at Christmas: The Nutcracker. But when she learns that the new ballet features mice as villains, her excitement turns to horror: the mice of Saint Petersburg will never come to see such a production. Meanwhile, nine-year-old Irina is convinced that the mice she’s seen in the Mariinsky — the mice her father, the custodian, is supposed to exterminate — are not only fans of the ballet, but dancers themselves. No one will believe her, so it falls to Irina to help save the mice everyone else considers vermin . . . and perhaps to help Esmeralda ensure the future of the mouse company. Sweet and inventive, Kristin Kladstrup’s ballet fantasy features artwork by beloved illustrator Brett Helquist, old-fashioned drama, and just a touch of holiday magic.

Natalie Andrewson brings E.T.A. Hoffmann’s surreal and fantastical story to life like never before in this vibrant graphic novel adaptation of the beloved Christmas classic, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Of all the gifts under the tree on Christmas Eve, only one captures Marie Stahlbaum’s heart: a humble nutcracker. He’s a curious little man, with kind eyes, sweet red cheeks, and a friendly appearance. And as midnight nears, he comes to life, revealing a fairy-tale world of magic and wonder, wicked princesses and fierce battles . . . and an ancient curse that can only be broken with the help of a true friend. With the evil Mouse King looming and her dream world threatened, Marie will have to find the strength to stand up for her nutcracker—no matter what it takes.

The original stories behind everyone's favorite Christmas ballet It wasn't until the 1950s that seeing The Nutcracker at Christmastime became an American tradition. But the story itself is much older and its original intent more complex. This eye-opening new volume presents two of the tale's earliest versions, both in new translations: E.T.A. Hoffmann's Nutcracker and Mouse King (1816), in which a young girl is whisked away to the Land of Toys to help her animated nutcracker defeat the Mouse King, and Alexandre Dumas's 1845 adaptation, The Tale of the Nutcracker, based on Hoffmann's popular work. Irresistible tales of magic, mystery, and childhood adventure, these timeless delights and fresh interpretations about the importance of imagination will captivate readers of all ages. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816) is a story by E.T.A. Hoffmann. A leading writer of the German Romantic period, Hoffmann inspired generations of artists with his thrilling blend of fantasy, science fiction, and fairy tale. In 1892, Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky turned Alexandre Dumas’ adaptation of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King into The Nutcracker, which remains one of the most popular ballets of all time. On Christmas Eve, Fritz and Marie anxiously await the presentation of gifts. Initially awed by the clockwork castle made by their godfather Drosselmeyer, a famous inventor, they soon turn their attentions to a nutcracker. When Fritz accidentally breaks their new toy, Marie carefully bandages its jaw back into place. That night, while the whole house sleeps, Marie is awoken by the chiming of the grandfather clock. Terrified, she watches as a battle is waged between a horde of mice—led by a seven-headed king—and the toys, suddenly brought to life, led by the noble nutcracker. The next morning, she attempts to inform her parents of what she has seen, but they refuse to believe her. All remains quiet for the next several days, but when Drosselmeyer returns with the mended nutcracker, he tells her a story of the vengeful Mouse Queen. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King is a classic of German literature reimagined for modern readers.

When Marie is gifted a nutcracker on Christmas Eve, the last thing she expects is for it to come alive. When she wakes to find a very mobile nutcracker engaged in a battle between her dolls, it becomes clear that there is more to this toy than meets the eye. The following day, Marie learns of his story and is plunged into the quest of lifting an evil curse. E.T.A Hoffmann's fantasy novel has not only seized the attention of children worldwide for centuries but also famously inspired the Russian ballet 'The Nutcracker' (1892). E.T.A Hoffmann (1776-1822) was a German writer, painter, and composer. His short stories are famed for their supernatural elements that often reveal things about human nature that perhaps would've been better remaining a secret. Dostoyevsky, Edgar Allen Poe, and Victor Hugo were all openly inspired by his vivid explorations of human character.

What if a brave Captain Cookie stood up to Santa? A fresh, funny story that sparkles with all the excitement of a pirate adventure -- and all the magic of Christmas morning. (Ages 4-10) Features an audio read-along! A funny and magical Christmas story about a gingerbread pirate, Captain Cookie, and his daring adventure on Christmas eve to rescue his crew from a mysterious cannibal named Santa Claus…

The Mouse King (also known as Rat King in some versions) is the main antagonist in the novel and ballet adaptation The Nutcracker. He is an oppressive ruler who wishes to rule over a magical kingdom where he comes from. He becomes successful as he transformed the prince into a nutcracker and overthrew him. The prince, however, still rebels against the Mouse King, as the story introduces the Mouse King and the Nutcracker Prince waging in a battle against each other, which soon brought the attention of the story's protagonist.On Christmas Eve, a girl named Marie is visited by her godfather Drosselmeyer who persent Marie a nutcracker as her present. Marie enjoys the gift, but then her brother Fritz accidentally broke it when he wanted to play with it. Marie becomse upset and takes the nutcracker away from Fritz, as she promises to take care of it.Marie's slumber is disrupted by the grandfather clock chimeing, and Marie belives Drosselmeyer is sitting on top of it. Around that time, the Mouse King and his army invades Marie's house. The Nutcracker soon comes alive and leads an army of toys into battle against the Mouse King. The battle is first in favor of the dolls, but they are soon overwhelmed by the Mouse KIng's army. Noticing the Nutcracker about to be taken captive, Marie throws a slipper at the Mouse King, fainting afterwards (cutting her arm on the toy cabinet's glass door in the process).Marie wakes up in her bed the next morning with her arm bandaged. She tries to tell her parents about the battle between the mice and the dolls, but they don't believe her, thinking that she has had a fever dream caused by the cut from the glass. Several days later, Drosselmeyer arrives with the nutcracker after he fixed his jaw, and he tells Marie the story of Princess Pirlipat and Madame Mouserinks, also known as the Queen of the Mice, which explains how nutcrackers came to be and why they look the way they do.The Mouse Queen tricked Pirlipat's mother into allowing her and her children to gobble up some lard..... that was supposed to be used in the King's sausage dinner! The King, furious about the now ruined dinner plans, had his court inventor, whose name happens to be Drosselmeyer, create traps for the Mouse Queen and her children.The Mouse Queen, angered at the death of her children, swore that she would take revenge on Pirlipat. Pirlipat's mother surrounded her with cats which were supposed to be kept awake by being constantly stroked. However, the nurses who did so fell asleep and the Mouse Queen magically turned Pirlipat ugly (With a large head, a wide grinning mouth, and a cottony beard like a nutcracker.) The King blamed Drosselmeyer and gave him four weeks to find a cure. At the end, he had no cure, but went to the court astrologer.