Charlotte and the Nutcracker
The True Story of a Girl Who Made Ballet History
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
A reimagined and modern take on the holiday favorite, this picture book weaves together the classic Christmas tale of The Nutcracker and the true-life story of 12-year-old ballerina Charlotte Nebres, the first Black girl to play Marie in the New York City Ballet’s production.
The only thing Charlotte loves as much as ballet is Christmas. So, when she gets the opportunity to play Marie in the New York City Ballet's The Nutcracker, she leaps at the chance.
Dancing takes practice-hours of adjusting her arms and perfecting her jumps. With the help of her Trinidadian and Filipino families, encouragement from her sister, and a view of her mom and dad in the audience, Charlotte finds the strength to never give up.
In this spectacular debut full of fluid, dynamic illustrations, Charlotte provides youngsters with a multicultural tale of family, dance, and holiday cheer.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this rhythmic narrative, Charlotte Nebres, the first Black dancer cast as Marie in the New York City Ballet's production of Balanchine's The Nutcracker, recounts her history learning ballet, her time auditioning for and then performing in The Nutcracker in 2019, and her family's Christmas traditions. Writing from the third-person perspective, Nebres employs accessible prose that emphasizes the physical repetition necessary in ballet: "Charlotte travels straight into/ the wide-open joy of Christmas./ Toe, ball, heel./ Toe, ball, heel./ Toe, ball, heel." Marley contributes warm, fine-lined digital spreads, filled with light and rendered in a seasonal palette of muted jewel tones. Though Nebres's family traditions are portrayed without context, only quietly hinting at her Trinidadian and Filipinx roots, themes of persistence and representation as inspiration should open relevant conversations with young readers. An author's note concludes. Ages 4–8.
