Follow Clara on a magical Christmas adventure in this musical retelling of The Nutcracker
ballet—push the button on each beautiful scene to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing
from Tchaikovsky’s score. It is Christmas Eve at Clara’s house. Scents of ginger chocolate
and peppermint waft through the air. Clara’s parents are having a party and her little brother
Fritz is decorating the Christmas tree. Clara’s godfather a toymaker arrives with gifts
including a very special one for her— a wooden nutcracker carved in the shape of a little man .
After Fritz breaks it the children are sent to bed. The story follows Clara in her dreams as
she battles and defeats a mouse king then travels with her nutcracker-turned-prince to the
Land of Sweets where she watches its enchanting inhabitants perform beautiful dances. As you
and your little one journey through the magical scenes you will press the buttons to hear 10
excerpts from the ballet’s music including “The Waltz of the Flowers ” “The Dance of the
Sugar Plum Fairy ” “The Russian Dance ” and the awesome “Finale.” Readers should press firmly
on the pages to activate the sound board at the back of the book encouraging interactive
learning and introducing children to this beautiful piece of music . At the back of the book
find a short biography of the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky with details about his
composition of The Nutcracker ballet. Next to this you can replay the musical excerpts and
for each of them read a discussion of the instruments rhythms and musical techniques that
make them so powerful. A glossary defines musical terms. The Story Orchestra series brings
classical music to life for children through gorgeously illustrated retellings of classic
ballet opera and program music stories paired with 10-second sound clips of orchestras
playing from their musical scores. With The Story Orchestra keyboard sound books children can
play the famous melodies themselves with the sound of a real grand piano. Also available
from the Story Orchestra series : The Magic Flute I Can Play (vol 1) Carnival of the
Animals Swan Lake The Sleeping Beauty and Four Seasons in One Day . Manufacturer’s
note: please pull the white tab out of the back of the book before use. Sound buttons require
a firm push in exact location to work which may be hard for young children. All sound clips
are 10 seconds long. The perfect primer to introduce children to classical music.
