The Nutcracker – Story Orchestra Series

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.

In The Nutcracker, follow Clara on a magical adventure in this retelling of the classic ballet story. Watch the nutcracker battle the mouse king, meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and journey to the Land of Sweets, where wonder and excitement await… Press the note on every page to hear the story come to life with music from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.

Click here to see sample page.

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.

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.