On Christmas Eve the Stahlbaum children find a plain little wooden Nutcracker among their presents, and Maria takes him under her care. That night, when the clock strikes twelve, the toys come alive, mice pour out of the walls, and a Mouse King with seven crowned heads leads them into battle. Then Godfather Drosselmeier tells the story of the hard nut, and Maria learns who the Nutcracker really is. Hoffmann's 1816 tale, the one behind the ballet, retold chapter by chapter for family reading, in fourteen short chapters that follow the whole story to its proper ending. A gift edition, illustrated throughout with original illustrations made for this edition and set with ornamental chapter openings.
