I LOVE the story of the Nutcracker. I was very disappointed with this version. The animations are poorly conceived. The story moves too quickly and yet, at the same time, embellishes. I'll be looking for a more accurate version for my children.
As children's books go, this one is just a bit better than average. The story of the Nutcracker will always be eternal. If you have ever seen the Ballet, you can even hear the music when the different characters like the wind up dolls are introduced.
This is a good book to read to the kids. A good Christmas bedtime story. As you are reading it, you can easily flip the book around to show the kids the pictures.
A more advanced child reader could read this book. The print, although a decent size, is somewhat congested on the page in this book. And, another negative is that the book, being so short, somewhat rushes through the story. This is a worth while read but it does have it's drawbacks.