This fresh retelling of Hoffmann's tale is set in Sugar Hill, Harlem, in the 1920s. Shy Marie won't sing with the rest of her outgoing family and friends, but once everyone has left, she observes the magical tree, the soldiers and mice coming to life, and instead of throwing a slipper (as in the ballet), she picks up a drum and begins to play. The next morning, she joins in with Uncle Cab, Miss Addie, and Momma and Poppy.

The watercolor illustrations are so bright and saturated they almost look like oils. Full color, they take up the whole page (see also: Crown by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James). ( )

This was a DELIGHTFUL surprise to find on my doorstep this holiday. I've enjoyed several versions of this wonderful holiday story over the years and it never fails to amaze me how they manage to come up with some new version that still captures the magic of the original, yet brings its own dose of holiday fun. Take this one for example...it adds a jazzy flair to the story of old with a leading little lady trying to find her voice in a time when the rhythm was what you made of it. Watching Marie become ensnared in the battle between the soldiers and the Rat King, seeing her dismay when it seemed like all was lost, and then triumphantly taking up for the little drummer boy nutcracker...why it weaved its own web of magic and wonder that'll capture hearts and minds for many seasons to come.


**copy received for review ( )

The story of the Nutcracker and the Mouse King set in Harlem in the 1920s. This would be a good book to use to discuss the Hrlem Renaissance or musicians Adelaide Hall or Cab Calloway on whom the characters are based. ( )

This was so special to read! It's the story of The Nutcracker we all know, with a small twist. The Author of the book for years as the stagehand for the Dance Theater of Harlem, so for his version of the Nutcracker, he wanted to include Harlem's sound.
Set in the 1920's, an African-American young woman receives a nutcracker made with magic wood at the family Christmas party.
The result of blending Harlem's own culture and the ballet's traditional story is pretty set with wonderful illustrations with the characters using the fashion of the twenties and you can almost hear the sound of jazz turning the pages. ( )

Author T.E. McMorrow spins the story of Marie, a young girl during the Harlem Renaissance who must learn to join in the music around her, in this African-American adaptation of the classic German holiday tale, The Nutcracker. Although she loves the jazz musicians who are attending her parents' grand Christmas party, Marie is shy about singing with them. Then her Uncle Cab gives her a toy nutcracker, and she has a magical dream in which the Nutcracker battles a menacing Mouse King. Marie herself plays an important role in the battle, discovering the musical talent - drumming - that will allow her to enter into the world of music around her, once she is awake again...

Apparently inspired by McMorrow's time working as a stagehand for the Dance Theatre of Harlem, The Nutcracker in Harlem is a fairly faithful retelling of the first section of E.T.A. Hoffman's Christmas fairy-tale Nussknacker und Mausekönig ("The Nutcracker and the Mouse King"), originally published in 1816. The main change - Marie uses the drum to help defeat the Mouse King, rather than throwing her shoe at him - has great significance for the larger themes of the story, which highlights the importance of music and musical expression, in the life of the heroine and her community. I enjoyed McMorrow's narrative, which is quite poetic at times, and found James Ransome's watercolor artwork beautiful. Recommended to Nutcracker fans looking for something a little different, as well as to anyone searching for children's stories set during the Harlem Renaissance. ( )