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 original 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.
