Review by New York Times Review
A wordless picture book about seeing "The Nutcracker" is an inspired idea, and with utterly enchanting diorama art, McKay makes it feel like an event. (You might want to put on fancy holiday clothes just to read it.) A girl and her mother, drawn in sepia tones, are leaving for the theater on a rainy night. Once they arrive, scenes from the ballet are in color; in the audience, a boy and his father are also absorbed in the magic. Look closely at the illuminating details, like the high-top sneakers the girl wears with her dress. QUEEN OF THE HANUKKAH DOSAS By Pamela Ehrenberg. Illustrated byAnjan Sarkar. 36 pp. Farrar Straus & Giroux. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) The boy who narrates this lighthearted holiday mash-up has an Indian mom and a Jewish dad. At Hanukkah that's a "lucky combination," he says: Instead of latkes, the family makes Indian dosas. His only complaint is his wild toddler sister, who's slowing down the dosa-making process. When she runs amok in the supermarket, he sings to her, to the tune of the dreidel song: "I had a little dosa. I made it out of dal." But after a mishap her high jinks come in handy. Improvisation, we're reminded, is at the heart of any winter holiday. THE NUTCRACKER IN HARLEM By T. E. McMorrow. Illustrated by James Ransome. 32 pp. HarperCollins. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) This inventive book embeds the classic holiday ballet in the elegant Harlem Renaissance world of the 1920s. Marie's large family is hosting a musical Christmas Eve party, but she's too shy to sing. Her Uncle Cab gives her a nutcracker as a gift, and once the guests leave the night brings all kinds of remarkable goings-on. The nutcracker come to life, of course, but perhaps even better, Marie finds a way to sing. Ransome's rich jewel-toned art makes both indoor scenes and the New York City night vibrate with life and holiday wonder. LOVE, SANTA By Martha Brockenbrough. Illustrated by Lee White. 32 pp. Scholastic. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 6 and up) To tell or not to tell? As parental dilemmas go, the "Is Santa Claus real?" conundrum can be a source of genuine agonizing. Based on the beans-spilling letter to her daughter Brockenbrough published in The Times and elsewhere, this earnest book about the end of a child's Santa era channels the sense of loss into a message about generosity and kindness. Told largely via letters to and from Santa tucked inside envelopes in the book, Lucy's growth into knowledge, and her mother's navigation of her role in that, are equally moving. THE GIRL WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS By Matt Haig. Illustrated by Chris Mould. 320 pp. Knopf. $17.99. (Ages 7 and up) If somewhere in the afterlife Roald Dahl met Charles Dickens and they cooked up a new Christmas tale, it couldn't have much on this fleet, verbally rambunctious, heart-stealing follow-up to "A Boy Called Christmas," set in Victorian London (with cameos by Dickens himself). Amelia Wishart, the first child to have gotten a gift from Father Christmas, is orphaned and sent to a workhouse. At the North Pole, magic levels plummet. Christmas is in jeopardy, and Father Christmas is in custody. Amelia to the rescue? We'd all better believe it. ONLINE An expanded visual presentation of this week's column at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [December 3, 2017]
Review by Booklist Review
When her grandmother surprises a young girl with tickets to The Nutcracker on a cold, December evening, the child isn't happy. Her dismay at having to put on a dress and walk to the theater through the rain is clearly evident. To top it off, she is seated next to a boy who looks as miserable as she is. Up to this point, MacKay's paper-cut illustrations are sepia-toned, reflecting both the weather and mood. But when the orchestra begins playing, the illustrations dramatically turn into vivid technicolor. Every page in this wordless story is a surprise. The pictures fluctuate in size and position, with a few made up of panels showing what is happening on the stage while also reflecting the wonder, admiration, and excitement the mesmerized children feel. The magic of the evening is complete when, upon leaving the theater, the grandmother and granddaughter discover the rain has turned to snow. This is a fine introduction to the marvel of the theater and a fitting start to the holiday season.--Owen, Maryann Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Mackay lovingly traces a child's first experience of "The Nutcracker" in a wordless story that brims with emotion. Pale, dreary scenes open on a rainy winter night, as a girl bristles at having to get dressed up to go to the ballet with her grandmother. Once the ballet begins, color seeps into the images, and the girl's eyes open wide with delight. Readers see the ballet in progress and audience reactions from the girl, her grandmother, and a boy sitting next to the girl,with whom she develops a shy connection as their skepticism and restlessness is replaced by a sense of wonder. Mackay's signature cut-paper techniques are especially well suited to a story of the stage as she gracefully explores the magical moment when a theatergoer becomes more than a passive observer and is never quite the same again. Ages 4-8. Agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-This wordless picture book opens with Christmas just days away, but the only sign of holiday cheer is Gran's holly leaf print dress and her excitement at having tickets to The Nutcracker. Granddaughter is far less enthused at having to venture out into the cold wet night and walk to the theater wearing fancy clothes (except for the high-tops on her feet-a nice touch). The situation is not improved when the boy who teases her in the lobby ends up sitting next to her. But then wisps of color come from the orchestra. The act one scene where Clara receives a nutcracker prince from Uncle Drosselmeyer vibrantly leaps from the page, and both boy and girl are enthralled by the music and the action. Bright backlighting makes MacKay's paper-cut artwork look tangible, as if readers could peel the figures from the book and bring them to life. The absence of text allows the expressive illustrations to tell a multilayered story: the granddaughter's progress from sullen reluctance to joy, her and the boy's relationship of initial animosity to friendship, and, of course, the ballet's plot. Even the title serves dual purposes as a nod to a movement in the show and the spontaneous dance between grandmother and granddaughter through the gently falling snow at the end. VERDICT Theatrical, magical, and very much of the season as seeing The Nutcracker itself.-Joanna Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In this mostly wordless book, multilayered mixed-media panel illustrations in grays and blues reflect a young girls reluctance to brave a rainy night and attend The Nutcracker and, at the theater, to sit next to a boy. Then a full-page close-up captures the girls wonder as the overtures first strains sound. The ballet unfolds in glorious full color with dreamily gauzy backgrounds; sepia-toned insets and panels highlight the action through the entranced childrens reactions. By curtain call, a new friendship has been forged; the walk home becomes a joyous dance through gently falling snow. Both ballet and framing story feature welcomely diverse casts. katie bircher (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The Nutcracker casts its enchantment in this wordless picture book. A scowling young white girl is reluctant to put on fancy clothes and attend a performance of The Nutcracker with her mother. A rainstorm outside, depicted in shades of brown and dark blue, matches her mood inside until the orchestra begins the overture, and suddenly her eyes light up with wonder. Sepia-toned panels of the girl and a young boy and his father, both black, sitting next to her alternate with the lively action and bright colors of Act 1 as the heroic Nutcracker prince defeats the sword-wielding Mouse King. The two youngsters are each caught up in the magic. Act 2 opens with a lovely double-page spread decorated with glimpses of the dances to come, while smiling faces in the sepia panels continue to alternate with panels of colorful performers. The ballet ends and the two children are filled with joy, applauding enthusiastically. Mother and daughter leave the theater and ice dance together in a perfect finale. This wordless tale, told entirely in expressive, graphic format, is a fresh and wonderful addition to the crowded Nutcracker shelves. In MacKay's trademark cut-paper dioramas children can imagine themselves seated in the theater and dancing on the stage. Graphic panels are the perfect presentation format for a favorite ballet. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
