A Guinea Pig Nutcracker

by Alex Goodwin

Overview

The universally beloved ballet about Clara and her nutcracker gets the Guinea Pig Classics treatment!

As the curtain rises, Clara is opening her presents under the Christmas tree. She falls in love with a present from her godfather Drosselmeyer: a wooden Nutcracker. When Clara falls asleep that night, she is swept up in a battle between the Nutcracker (who has become a handsome prince) and the terrible Mouse King. This leads to a magical trip into the realms of fantasy, a sweet-filled wonderland where the beautiful Sugarplum Fairy dances...

This is the world-famous ballet, as you've never seen it before.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635574500
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	10/08/2019
Pages:	56
Sales rank:	1,152,285
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 6.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Alex Goodwin has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. He is Associate Editor at the International Institute of Strategic Studies and lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

Like a comfortable armchair upon which you might read one of these tiny masterpieces, the success of the series—and let there be no doubt that it is a triumph—rests on four points: the iconic but charming literature upon which each book is based; the unwavering cuteness of the guinea pigs; the delightful styling of each photograph with costumes by Newall; the sparse brevity of Goodwin's adaptations that preserve the essence, the aesthetic, and the language of the original.” —Los Angeles Review of Books on A GUINEA PIG ROMEO & JULIET

“A sweet take on Shakespeare's tragic love story . . . Fully illustrated with guinea pigs in costumes worthy of The Globe Theatre in London, this book is definitely not one to miss.” —BookTrib on A GUINEA PIG ROMEO & JULIET

“We thought Pride & Prejudice couldn't get much better—then we saw lines from Jane Austen's classic novel paired with some seriously dapper rodents.” —EW.com on A GUINEA PIG PRIDE & PREJUDICE

“This may be the definitive version of Pride and Prejudice. If they could get War and Peace down to this length, it would be a service to mankind.” —Salman Rushdie, on A GUINEA PIG PRIDE & PREJUDICE

“An entirely new, adorably hilarious take on the classic story . . . This affectionate, quietly dramatic homage is the perfect gift for Austen-philes, Austen-newbies, guinea-pig aficionados and anyone who appreciates a tale well told” —BookPage, on A GUINEA PIG PRIDE & PREJUDICE

From the Publisher

2019-08-18
The Nutcracker, but with guinea pigs.

A petite trim size befits the content of this photo-illustrated book (the sixth Guinea Pig Classic), most likely to appeal to the niche market of guinea-pig owners. Text that retells the story of the famous ballet is accompanied by Beresford's photographs of costumed guinea pigs on small stages set with dollhouse furniture and props (costumes and props courtesy of Newall). As the narrative describes Clara looking at her presents, a photo shows a guinea pig clad in a white dress and blue hair ribbon approaching a tiny, potted Christmas tree. Various incongruities between text and art arise, such as when "the big clock strikes twelve," with Clara dwarfing a small, sparkly grandfather clock. Later, the Mouse King, described as a "terrifying figure," looks anything but. It's odd that the term "fandango" is the only non-English word to receive a footnoted definition; perhaps child readers will have no difficulty negotiating "relevé"? The photos of the costumed guinea pigs aren't edited to make them appear to dance, which results in rather redundant tableaux of the fluffy creatures, often staring vacantly, sometimes with mouths agape. The backmatter names each guinea pig (including two Dorises), credits the roles they played, and provides background information on the ballet as well as pet rescue centers.

Clearly a labor of love—and just as clearly limited in appeal. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews