Publisher's Weekly Review
This vibrant tribute to a holiday tradition follows a sensory-filled adventure to a Nutcracker performance. "Swoosh! /go the cars./ Beep! Beep!/goes our taxi" reads the text as a parent and child head to a complex resembling New York City's Lincoln Center. Grimard's mixed-media compositions depict the family's outing and key plot points from the well-loved ballet as Messier's onomatopoeic phrases dance across the stage ("Voof!/ go the velvet curtains"; "Grrr!/ Grrr!/ Grrr!/ growls the Mouse King"). The interpretation of the Christmas tree that grows enormous as the clock strikes midnight--always a show-stopper on stage--is particularly memorable, featuring the word Bong! in a gradually increasing font size and a glowing, candlelit evergreen towering over the heroine. A charming entrée for ballet-bound children. Ages 3--7. (Oct.)
Horn Book Review
A little girl's experience of attending this quintessential Christmas ballet is told through its sounds: "Voof! go the velvet curtains." "Snap! goes the doll." Soft mixed-media illustrations full of golden tones depict the girl and her father making their way through New York City to Lincoln Center and into the theater, then capture vignettes of the production (and even intermission). Some of the onomatopoeic choices are odd-"Zoombando! go the flamenco dancers"?-but overall this is both a good primer to complement a child's first time seeing The Nutcracker and, for those familiar with it, a fresh take on a classic. Katie Bircher November/December 2019 p.31(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A sprightly introduction to the classic Christmas ballet.The backmatter notes that "[The Nutcracker] is often the first ballet children attend," and Messier and Grimard's collaboration does an exceptional job of distilling the ballet's story into spare, accessible text and engaging art that could prepare children for attending the ballet, let them relive the experience, or simply give them the delight of the story in book form. The child pictured dancing on the front cover isn't one of the ballerinas in the performance but a girl attending the ballet with her father. They both appear Asian in the illustrations, and many other audience members also appear to be people of color. Unfortunately, in an otherwise outstanding package, a preponderance of the depicted dancers appears to be white, which seems like a missed opportunity for inclusive representation. The spare text makes no mention of race, instead delivering the story through a series of combinations of expertly chosen onomatopoeia and dialogue guiding readers from the anticipation of the ballet through its first act, intermission, the second act, the curtain call, and the child narrator's closing, appreciative "Smooch!" of thanks to her dad.Sure to elicit the storytime equivalent of "encore" at Christmastime and beyond. (Picture book. 2-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
