Cozy Classics: The Nutcracker

Cozy Classics

by Jack Wang, Holman Wang

Cuddle up with a classic! In twelve needle-felted scenes and twelve child-friendly words, each book in this ingenious series captures the essence of a literary masterpiece. Simple words, sturdy pages, and a beloved story make these books the perfect vehicle for early learning with an erudite twist. Budding bookworms will delight in this clever retelling of the classics made just for them!In E. T. A. Hoffmann's The Nutcracker, marvel at Maria's favorite gift, cheer as she defeats the Mouse King, and journey to the magical Land of Sweets. It's a festive first words primer for your literary little one!The Cozy Classics series is the brainchild of two brothers, both dads, who were thinking of ways to teach words to their very young children. They hit upon the classics as the basis for their infant primers, and the rest, as they say, is history. From Moby Dick to Pride and Prejudice, here are The Great Books of Western Literature for toddlers and their parents in ebook form—a little bit serious, a little bit ironic, and entirely funny and clever. Plus, this is the fixed format version, which looks almost identical to the print edition.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Childrens, Classics, Holiday, Fairy Tales, Animals

24 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 6, 2016

About the author

WE TWO ALONE: STORIES

* Winner of the Danuta Gleed Literary Award from the Writers' Union of Canada for best debut collection in English
* Shortlisted for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize
* CBC Books Best Canadian Fiction of 2020
* Quill and Quire 2020 Books of the Year
* 49th Shelf 2020 Fiction: Books of the Year

JACK WANG ’s fiction has been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize and longlisted for the Journey Prize. In 2014–15, he held the David T. K. Wong Creative Writing Fellowship at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, and in 2020, he was awarded a residency at Historic Joy Kogawa House in Vancouver. He holds a BSc from the University of Toronto, an MFA from the University of Arizona, and a PhD from Florida State University, and he is an associate professor in the Department of Writing at Ithaca College. Originally from Vancouver, he lives in Ithaca, New York, with his wife, novelist Angelina Mirabella, and their two daughters.

Reviews

[☼Bookish in Virginia☼]

~ review copy

I would love to know who the real market is for these books. Is it little children, English or Art teachers, teens or adults -- or perhaps a swath out of all these markets.

Myself... what can I say. I am drawn to these little volumes. They're fun and even intriguing. I've sat with the children, and I've sat by myself, considering the single words that the authors have chosen to represent whole chapters and dramatic events in the tales they've portrayed. And the artwork! So well done.

Which brings me to THE NUTCRACKER. This may be one of the Wang's best efforts. The detail and beauty of their figures and the props is at once lovely and adorable.

Since there are many volumes out there in the Cozy Classics series, I won't bother to explain more about what you find inside. But I will suggest you take a look at the NUTCRACKER. I'm storing my copy away with our Christmas things tomorrow so it can become apart of our seasonal tradition.

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an interesting book to read. First, I have seen the ballet repeatedly, but never really understood the plot. This makes it easier. Second, it is an illustration of crafts for kids and adults: how the dolls/puppets are made.

[Michelle (FabBookReviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up, one thing I liked to do every year around Christmas was to watch the TV movie The Nutcracker, starring Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland. I absolutely adored ballet (was an aspiring ballet dancer as well!) and, like a lot of folks, thought Baryshnikov was pure magic. So, I'd hunker down in front our fireplace with some hot chocolate and watch...And while I don't participate in that tradition anymore, my love of that memory and how much I still enjoy The Nutcracker stands. Needless to say, when I first heard that Jack and Holman Wang would be adapting The Nutcracker as a Cozy Classics title, I was delighted!

The Cozy Classics version of E.T.A. Hoffmann's The Nutcracker is, as I was hoping it would be, utterly charming, inviting and capturing that magical, otherworldly feel of the story. As with the previous Cozy Classic titles, there is one word per page with a facing page involving adapted scenes from The Nutcracker. Using simple but significant words to represent iconic moments from the story- such as 'gift', 'sweets', 'mouse', 'dance'- the Wangs do a solid job telling the story as clearly as possible for little ones. As for the characters and scenes? From the Mouse King to Maria, to the dancing and land of sweets, the details here in the felt characters and scenery are something quite special. I had the very lucky chance to view, in-person, some of The Nutcracker character felts last year and they were incredibly beautiful- detailed and intricate. It is very cool to get to see them here in the pages of the completed book!

Any readers who have previously adored Cozy Classic titles or the awesome Star Wars Epic Yarns from Jack and Holman Wang might especially adore and appreciate this version of The Nutcracker. There is something dreamy, fun, and comforting about this title and the rest of the Cozy Classics board books; they really can be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

I received a copy of this title courtesy of Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.

[Kate Puleo Unger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Board Book ages 0-2

This book teaches basic vocabulary from the Nutcracker story - gift, mouse, prince, etc. There are photos of dolls acting out the story, but they're a little creepy. This book was clearly written for adults who love this story to share with their kids, but I don't know that it's one that babies would enjoy on their own.

http://www.momsradius.com/2016/12/cyb...

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The classic story of the Nutcracker is narrowed down to 12 important words that are accompanied by scenes that are rendered in felt. Fans of the ballet and story will fall in love with it again, and those who are new to it will fall in love with it for the first time and want to learn more. I am still amazed at how carefully chosen each of those words is and how the scenes are depicted.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

The trend to use well known stories in picture books with only one word per page is interesting but doesn't hold my attention. I also thought other words could have been used to more effect than the ones chosen. The felt pictures were nice. I did like that the story was not ended as a dream but stayed with the original ending.

[Pug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having never read the actual book, I had a difficult time following this story. Perhaps more than 12 words would have helped this one? But I can't complain, because I still got to see those adorable felt figures, and didn't have to waste my time reading the original book!

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cozy Classics is a series of board books that uses classic works of literature and needle-felted illustrations to teach 12 simple words. This board book uses E.T.A Hoffmann's "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" and Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker." It is a cute series with nice illustrations.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cybils nominee for Best Board Book 2o16. More later.

[Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack and Holman Wang bring to life E. T. A. Hoffman's classic Christmas story, The Nutcracker, with their signature needle felted scenes. Featuring twelve needle felted scenes, each image captures the timeless story with beautiful imagery that even the youngest of readers will enjoy looking at. Accompanied on the opposite page of each picture, is one bolded word that helps bring the story to life. Words such as gift, sleep, mouse, go, snow, love, and more. This book is perfect for little hands, and short attention spans. This board book retelling of The Nutcracker is worth picking up this holiday season.

http://mundiekids.blogspot.com/2016/1...