Mary Engelbreit’s The Nutcracker

Sweetness abounds in Engelbreit’s condensed version of this holiday tale, modeled on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Featuring candy cane borders and an array of confections, the author’s signature vivid, pictures give the story a setting evocative of the 1920s. After the Nutcracker transforms into a prince, he escorts cherubic Marie to his kingdom, Toyland, where “the smell of Christmas and candy floated around them” and dancers “played reed flutes so sweetly, each note seemed to be made of sugar.” Engelbreit fans will devour this eagerly. All ages. (Nov.)