Woodland Nutcracker

It is Christmas Eve in the forest and bear cubs Clara and Peter have been busy all day helping their parents prepare for the festive night. Finally, it is time to open Grandpa's handmade gifts. There are dancing puppets on strings, colourful tin soldiers and, most splendid of all, a carved nutcracker bear. When Clara can't sleep that night, she goes down to see the Nutcracker. Entering the moonlit living room she is astonished to find a battle between the field mice and the Nutcracker with his band of tin soldiers. As Clara calls a truce, the Nutcracker grows before her eyes into a real bear, takes her hand in his and leads her on a fantastic voyage. Avril Tyrrell's spare and evocative prose remains true to the original Nutcracker story and Frances Tyrrell's gorgeous animals and woodland settings, full of stunning detail and vibrant colours, are the perfect finishing touch. Visit Frances Tyrrell's personal website at: http://www.francestyrrell.com/