The Tale of the Nutcracker

Puffin Classics: the definitive collection of timeless stories, for every child

Enter a world of magic and enchantment with Alexandre Dumas's timeless adaptation of the Nutcracker story, The Tale of the Nutcracker.

When little Marie receives a rather ugly doll for Christmas, she isn't sure what to make of him. His head is far too large, his legs far too small; but he's certainly excellently dressed! Things take a strange turn on Christmas Eve when, as the clocks strike midnight, the odd little Nutcracker comes to life to do fierce battle against the malevolent Mouse King and his armies. But that's just the beginning of the Nutcracker's strange and magical story.

Full of magical wonder and surreal fantasy, this famous adaptation, which inspired Tchaikovsky's beloved ballet, is a celebration of childhood imagination, full of talking toys, candy kingdoms and dastardly mice.