Penelope Cruz at World Premiere in London

Spanish actress Penelope Cruz arrives for the world premiere of "Nine" at Leicester Square in London December 3, 2009. (REUTERS) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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Nutcracker Week: Lisbeth Zwerger

The Nutcracker illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger is my final entry for Nutcracker Week. Zwerger is no stranger to fairy tales. She has been published in many countries and her version of The Nutcracker is filled with earthy tones and soft images, unlike the brightly colored versions I've shared earlier this week.


The extra images came from Childscapes which sells first editions of her work.


Lovely.

Nutcracker Week: Up and Coming Illustrators

To finish off Nutcracker Week, I wanted to share some of the illustrations I found by up and coming illustrators at Picture Book.


by René Milot (Check out his illustration gallery to see the covers of some familiar book covers and more. He did the illustration for one cover of The Queen of Attolia, from one of my favorite books series. Is anyone else waiting with bated breath for A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan-Whalen-Turner? I preordered months ago and just rebought the other books for my Kindle.)


by Linda Bronson


by John Aardema


by Dan Hubig


by Catherine Kanner

Podcast: Marina Warner

If you enjoy podcasts, you can download and listen to a recent lecture by Marina Warner at Queen Mary, University of London here.

Marina Warner, Distinguished Professor in the Humanities, gave her inaugural lecture entitled ‘Figures in the Carpet: Magic and the 1001 Nights’ (24/11/09). The fascinating lecture explores the magic carpet's appearances in stories through the ages, and how it conveyed the power and sensation of flight long before the dawn of aviation.

I admit I'm not a podcast person, but this one will make me step out of my usual zones.

And if you haven't read Warner's From the Beast to the Blonde, why haven't you? It's a shame it's out of print. It is one of the books that inspired SurLaLune.

Three Little Pigs Toy Set

Melissa & Doug Deluxe Three Little Pigs Play Set Soft Baby Toy

Okay, I had to post this today because once I saw it, it became my all-time favorite Three Little Pigs toy I've seen. (First unashamed thought: I want it!) I like that it is self-contained, has all three houses, numbered pigs and a wolf. It can be used to tell the story to a child or simply to play with over and over. And it's safe for toddlers. Adorable.

Frog Juice Game

Another game loosely inspired by fairy tales, Frog Juice. This one uses some general fairy tale tropes, mostly the generic witch tropes found in fairy tales.

Here's an editorial review from Amazon:

How would you create a magic spell? You might need some unicorn horn or some eye of newt, or maybe some bats or toadstools or star and moon dust. But be forewarned as you're stirring up your potion--you'd better be wary of a black cat or the powerful All-Purpose Witch Wash! One of your opponents might even be brewing up an Uglifying Spell. ("Results guaranteed to crack mirrors at a single glance!") All of these magical ingredients are part of Frog Juice, an imaginative card game for two to four players that uses fairy-tale elements from fair maids to frogs to create a game that both kids and adults will enjoy. This game of strategy includes 44 ingredient cards and 15 power cards, each with an illustration that looks like it came straight out of a fairy-tale book. Cards are played in the center of the game and then captured by other players by matching numerical values or by using stronger powers. --Marcie Bovetz

And a description from the manufacturer, Gamewright, which isn't as helpful:

A clever card game of spells and concoctions. Cast spells, brew concoctions, melt witches...use a smidgen of math and a pinch of probability. Capture cards by matching or adding cards from your hand. Then count ingredients and measure your powers.

The game is said to promote math skills which is always a good thing, too.

Nutcracker Week: Vladimir Vagin

The Nutcracker Ballet by Vladimir Vagin is today's offering for Nutcracker Week. Vagin's illustrations for the story remind me of Jan Brett's work, with the intricate details and I also detect a bit of the influence of Ivan Bilibin among others, understandable with Vagin's Russian heritage. (He also illustrated Jane Yolen's The Flying Witch, a Baba Yaga story, and The Firebird.)

Publisher's description:

It's Christmas Eve in 19th century Europe. And on this magical evening, young Clara's eccentric godfather has given her a beautiful wooden nutcracker. As midnight strikes, Clara's wooden toy transforms into a handsome prince, and Christmas quickly becomes even more enchanting. The prince takes Clara on a romantic overnight adventure into a dream world of delicacies called the Land of Sweets.Clara's adventure ends as she wakes up snuggly tucked in her bed. As she embraces her nutcracker, she realizes that the best part of Christmas...is the magic it brings.

A review from Booklist:

Vagin's intricate period watercolors, not the straightforward telling, will pull readers into this story. Clara and the other children dress in formal nineteenth-century clothing and are lovely; Herr Drosselmeier dons a black cape and an eye patch and is just strange enough to be effective; the Nutcracker stands tall, proud, and well polished (so does the prince); the Mouse King and his soldiers are dark and nasty; and the inhabitants of the Land of the Sweets have a fantastical, dramatic quality about them. The paintings are rich and dense, and Vagin's ability to capture the flavor of the different cultures reflected in the various dances lends credibility and appeal to his version of the story. Children will pore over the details in the Christmas tree decorations, costumes, architecture, and landscapes and always discover something new. --Kathy Broderick

Matchgirl Ballet

Next week is Little Match Girl week on SurLaLune, but since this is performed this Friday and Saturday by Columbus Dance Theatre, I am offering a preview:

From Ballet goes step beyond classic seasonal fairy tale by Bill Mayr:

The Little Match Girl centers on a poor girl sent out on the street by her harsh father to sell matches on New Year's Eve.

"She's very cold, so she starts to strike matches," Veach explained. "Each time she strikes a match, she has a vision -- a vision of a warm fire, a vision of a banquet where the food comes to life. She has a vision of her grandmother, who is dead, who takes her away to heaven."

The end of the story, Veach noted, is very sad: "People ignored her, and she dies in the cold. But her grandmother takes her away."

That ending, though, serves as the first act of Veach's ballet.

In the second act -- which "looks very different," he said -- the girl arrives in paradise.

"Costumes and scenery are time-nebulous because there is no time in paradise," he said. "All the people on earth who treated her badly dance for her. And she forgives them."

Sagarika Ghatge Latest Pictures

‘Chak de! India’ gave Shah Rukh Khan another hit, but it went a long way in changing the fortunes of the 16 girls who wielded hockey sticks in the film. Chak De! India, the likes of Sagarika Ghatge presence felt on big and small screen. Sagarika Ghatge is related to the popular actor Vijayendra Ghatge. She used to play hockey while she studied at the Mayo College Girls School Ajmer. Sagarika Ghate is not a very old name in Bollywood world and she was born on 8th January 1982. She has been in showbiz since 2006 and her movie Chak De India was a great hit. She has not been very much into movies yet but she has a lot of acting potential. She is also a top model and was born in Maharashtra, India. She is also the representative of Reebok. 07 more images after the break...

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10 Amazing Staircases Around the World

1. Spiral Stair (Australia)

Fascinating spiral stairs at Garvan Institute in Sydney, Australia. 6.5 revs and five stories from top to bottom.(Link - Photo)

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Lock of Love

The tradition probably originated from China where the love locks can be seen at several locations alongside the Great Wall of China and also in many temples and on the steps/paths leading to sacred peaks.

The tradition has spread around the World and is now quite prevalent in South Korea, Japan, Guam, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, Russia, USA etc.

Juyongguan, Sanbu and Badaling sections of the Great Wall, being close to Beijing, are the most popular sections of the Great Wall and thousands of locks of various sizes, attached to the rows and rows of steel chains along the wall, can be seen at these places.

The watch towers at these places are occasionally used as a venue for weddings. Loving couples announce their love for each other as they hang their lock, and then they throw away the key, in the hopes that their love will last for as long as the Great Wall stands.

I have tried to locate and placemark as many places as I could find on the World Wide Web. I am sure the romantic readers will now try to find more such places.

Here are some photographs taken at these locations;

Great Wall, Juyongguan, China

Image from Panoramio is by irish craptock

Locks of love are the padlocks fixed by loving couples, on to a fence or a pole or metallic chain/string alongside some wall etc at a public place, to symbolize their eternal love. A couple would hang a padlock after inscribing their name or initials on it and throw the key away so that their love is locked forever. Some couple use two inter-twined locks, each lock bearing their name/initials. Besides lovers, often family members and close friends also put such locks at these places, to lock their relationship forever. 35 More after the break...

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Nutcracker Week: Maurice Sendak

Here's the picture book version of The Nutcracker a few generations grew up with--not me, I'm just slightly too old--but the cover has become a common image used in posters and other materials. After all, it's by Maurice Sendak, of Where the Wild Things Are fame. Used copies are available and your favorite library should have it although its copies may have to have been retired from wear.

I don't have any other images to share, but this blog entry by Lance Mannion about the story and one child's experience with the 'Christmas' story is charming and has several images, albeit blurry ones. It also reminded me that the story is quite boy friendly although the ballet influence and marketing seems to have pushed it firmly into girls' territory these days. Rats, soldiers, battles, oh my! Sendak's version is also quite boy friendly in tone and style.

On Stage in November and December: Part 2

Another post about some of the more interesting theatrical interpretations of fairy tales during the holiday season:

Little Red Riding Hood

Hoit directs the fractured fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood,” a comedic semi-opera written by Marian Partee and Richardson.

Worley is hysterical as the 13-year-old Red, played as a spoiled modern teen obsessed with her Blackberry. Red’s mother, played by Murphy, shares with her daughter a priceless give-and-take that begins the story.

Keating is very funny as Junior Wolf, a teen wolf who wants to be a vegetarian chef. His father, The Big Bad Wolf, is played by Walker, who gets to sing some funny lyrics about hunting down and eating people.

Red and Junior team up to save all the old retired fairy tale heroes at their retirement home.

Murphy, now playing Red’s grandmother Aurora; McLane as one of the three pigs, Hamlet; Beck as an old and frisky Prince Charming; and Hildebrand as Rapunzel are simply insane and uproarious.

The puns fly throughout and several modern day references are lampooned to great success.

Rapunzarella White (Hackensack's Avellino directs revamped 'Rapunzarella')

Rapunzarella White is a brand new musical tale spun from the familiar threads of Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Snow White, in which they are actually triplets cast off into their own separate stories by a very angry witch. Herschel, an adorable Fairy Tailor, weaves together their sad plights before our favorite fairy tale princesses reunite as sisters, when each finds her true Prince Charming...and true love. "Happily Ever After" may never have seemed so far off, but fear not...as in all fairy tales, happiness and love prevail.

The Princess and the Handmaiden (see Class warfare for the kids and Fairy tale isn't kid-friendly)

Leslie Arden's new musical for children, The Princess and the Handmaiden , takes The Goose Girl , one of the lesser-known fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, adds a few shakes of The Prince and the Pauper , a pinch of All's Well that Ends Well and, to make its Canadian provenance that much more evident, a soupçon of a plea for universal magic care.

Nutcracker Week: Pop-Up Books

My love of pop-up books is no secret so today I share three Nutcracker versions.

The first is by one of the masters of pop-ups, David A. Carter, The Nutcracker Limited Edition: A Pop Up Adaptation Of E T A Hoffmanns Original Tale. This one came out almost ten years ago in standard and limited edition versions, the latter of which is still in print. (The standard one is out of print but almost as expensive now to buy used.) Pop-up books have quite a collectibles value growth over the years. The limited edition has a special pop-up on the cover as well as the pop-ups that are found in the inside of both versions, some I've pictured below in very small images, unfortunately. Either version is quite charming though.



I'll admit I've not seen the following--The Nutcracker by Patricia Fry--that came out last year, but it happens to still be in print having been released last year. This one appears to be geared more specifically at the younger set and makes a cheerful introduction to the ballet.


This last book, The Nutcracker by Nick Denchfield and Sue Scullard, is also out-of-print. I have to include it here because I actually own it and have spent warm hours over the past few years sharing it with some of my favorite children, one of whom even received a gift copy. The pop-ups are fairly standard, but elaborately colored and intricate enough to be interesting. They have a much more sophisticated appearance than Fry's version above.


And now I have dreams of Robert Sabuda doing his own version of the tale since he is my favorite pop-up engineer although David A. Carter is so close behind that it's almost a tie for first place. Sabuda's partner, Matthew Reinhart, is also holding his own very well. I've gifted his Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy more than any other pop-up book.

Castle Waiting

Yesterday School Library Journal published Roundtable: Books We Wish We Could Have: Good Comics for Kids online. It's an interesting article but only a small part of it connects to this blog's theme. Since it gives me the opportunity to highlight an obscure book, I'll share this quote:

Along the lines of more plausible requests, I would adore it if Fantagraphics would collect Castle Waiting II, of which there are currently fifteen issues, into a collected edition. It would make sense to continue with a matching hardcover to sit alongside their beautiful first collection, but at this point I'd settle for just a trade paperback collection. Castle Waiting was on Publisher's Weekly's Best Comics of 2006, and while it does not leap off the shelf like Naruto, it has a strong and loyal following. The charming blend of original and well-known fairy tale characters into one slightly dysfunctional castle household only gets better as it progresses. There is a "starter pack" available through Fantagraphics, but we cannot stock that in libraries -- give us a bound book, please!

Well, Castle Waiting is one of the underground favorites of fairy tale fans and comics fans, especially those who are both.

Here's a lengthy description from the publisher:

"The multiple Harvey and Eisner award-winning fantasy is now collected in one volume!

"The 450-page Castle Waiting graphic novel tells the story of an isolated, abandoned castle, and the eccentric inhabitants who bring it back to life. A fable for modern times, Castle Waiting is a fairy tale that's not about rescuing the princess, saving the kingdom, or fighting the ultimate war between Good and Evil—but about being a hero in your own home.

"For the first time, Fantagraphics' Castle Waiting collects the entire story into one mammoth volume—and includes the concluding chapter written and drawn especially for this volume.

"Wittily reinterpreting the Grimm Brothers classic tale "Briar Rose" (Sleeping Beauty) as a story of love, enchantment, and sibling rivalry, the opening chapter "The Curse Of Brambly Hedge" sets the stage for the story.

"In the second chapter, "The Lucky Road," Lady Jain's fairy-tale life turns out not-so-happily ever after, as she leaves to search for Castle Waiting, a wondrous, mythical refuge where "all are welcome." Jain soon finds the castle is very much a home as well as a refuge, and learns to fit in with its eccentric inhabitants as she discovers how she can help them bring the lonesome, dilapidated place back to life.

"The third chapter, "Solicitine," tells the story of Peaceful Warren, a young woman destined and determined to live an unconventional life. From the barroom to the circus to the convent and beyond, this chapter is a tale of an extraordinary adventure, an extraordinary friendship, and of making a place for oneself in the world.

"An artist with 20 years' experience in comics and children's books, Linda Medley lavishly illustrates Castle Waiting in a classic visual style reminiscent of Arthur Rackham and William Heath Robinson. Blending elements from a variety of sources—fairy tales, folklore, nursery rhymes—Medley tells the story of the everyday lives of fantastic characters with humor, intelligence, and insight into human nature. Castle Waiting can be read on multiple levels and can be enjoyed by children and literate adults."

Here are some more images and links. If you are interested, I recommend just going for the compendium of the entire first volume. (The images below are issues collected in the first volume.) Then if you become a fan, collect the Castle Waiting II issues which have not been collected into a single volume, thus inspiring the above article and this post.

You can also learn more at author Linda Medley's official site which isn't working as I write this post, but I'm including it in hopes that it will be running when this publishes.




Here's a link to all the Castle Waiting volumes available on Amazon.

Lani Shepherd's Glass Slipper

Found this short article about a stained glass artists who designed her own glass slipper: Artist of the week: Lani Shepherd

"I was always intrigued by the idea of a glass slipper and as a child I wondered how it would be made," said Lani. "Little did I think that so many years later I would be able to create a glass slipper for myself."

Her experience as a sculptor and jeweller, working with ideas developed from natural and architectural themes, gives her creations an original and jewel-like quality.

"I trained as a sculptor, I am a registered silversmith, so I have the skills and the Cinderella story was my inspiration. The Slipper is made from stained glass, glass nuggets and silver wire. I didn't know quite how it would look, so I started with the sole and heel and it just grew from there."

You can see more of her work at www.gloriousglass.co.uk.

Vegetable Juices that Could Help You Slim Down

Excess fat storage is a result of wrong combination of food and excessive eating of fatty and cholesterol-rich foods and consuming large quantities of starches and sugars. Read more after the break...

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Navneet Kaur Latest Photoshoot

Navneet Kaur Latest Photoshoot 11 more images after the break...

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Leighton Meester Photoshoot

Leighton Meester InStyle Hair Magazine Photoshoot, 08 more images after the break...

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10 Most Fascinating Castles and Palaces

1. The Potala Palace: Tibet's greatest monumental structure

Originally built by King Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century, Potala Palace is located on the Red Hill of Lhasa, Tibet. Destroyed by lightning and war, Potala Palace had been rebuilt by the Fifth Dalai Lama in 1645. Since then, Potala Palace has become the seat of Dalai Lamas and also the political center of Tibet. The thirteenth Dalai Lama extended it to the present size, 117 meters (384 ft) in height and 360 meters (1,180 ft) in width, covering an area of more than 130, 000 sq meters (about 32 acres). Mainly comprised by the White Palace (administerial building) and the Red Palace (religious building), Potala Palace is famous for its grand buildings, complicated constructions, devotional atmosphere and splendid artworks. More after the break...

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Michael Jackson Glove sold for just under £30,000

A white glove once worn by Michael Jackson has been sold for just under £30,000 at an auction in Australia. The singer threw the jewel-encrusted glove into the crowd, during a visit to Sydney in 1996.

04 more images after the break...

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Sleeping Queens Game

Here's another fairy tale inspired game, albeit loosely, the Sleeping Queens card game. This one uses Sleeping Beauty, of course, without Little Red Riding Hood in sight! And the sleeping women are queens, not princesses, which I find I prefer.

Product Description from Gamewright:

Parents' Choice Recommended. Imagine a place where there's a queen of all pancakes, a king of cookies and a pack of over-protective dragons? If this sounds like something out of a dream, it actually is! Sleeping Queens was invented by 6-year-old Miranda Evarts, who thought up the game one night when she couldn't fall asleep. She awoke the next morning and with help from her older sister, Madeleine and her parents, Denise and Max created this wonderfully whimsical world of napping nobles. As you immerse yourself in the Evarts' fantasyland, you will find a game that helps develop memory, strategy, and elementary arithmetic skills. Just be careful when playing potion cards or you could wind up putting all the players to sleep! Rise and Shine! The Pancake Queen, the Ladybug Queen and ten of their closest friends have fallen under a sleeping spell and it's your job to wake them up. Use strategy, quick thinking and a little luck to rouse these napping nobles from their royal slumbers. Play a knight to steal a queen or take a chance on a juggling jester. But watch out for wicked potions and dastardly dragons! The player who wakes the most queens wins.

Thanks to SkateJ for directing me to this one!

Shrek 4 Publicity Begins

Well, just as you thought you were sick of Princess and the Frog media hype, the push for Shrek 4 (aka Shrek Forever After) due out in May 2010 has begun. This is supposedly the final installment in the franchise, at least as a direct to theatre release, although a Puss in Boots spin-off is reportedly in the works.

Whether you are a fan or not--Shrek the Third certainly endangered the love--the movie is another entry in what I'm dubbing 2010: The Year of Fairy Tales on Film. So far in big screen release we will have Shrek 4, Rapunzel, and Beastly all following this month's Princess and the Frog release. We also have The Enchanted Screen: A History of Fairy Tales on Film by Jack David Zipes coming out in print in June (bumped from the previously stated January release).

Here are some articles and excerpts:

First Look at 'Shrek 4'

'Shrek,' the fairy-tale-spoofing animated franchise that's commanded more than $2.2 billion in global box office through three installments, will combine equal parts Brothers Grimm and 'It's a Wonderful Life' when its fourth act, 'Shrek Forever After,' hits theaters May 21.

That's according to USA Today, which received exclusive details from director Mike Mitchell about the upcoming computer-animated film. The movie will be released in 3D, a first for 'Shrek.'

In version 4.0, it seems that after rescuing a princess, getting married and fathering triplets, our favorite green ogre has found himself becoming a little too domesticated for his liking.

Shrek Forever After Trailer in Front of Avatar

DreamWorks Animation is going to try and squeeze another dollar-flavored drip of ogre milk from the Shrek teat this May with Shrek Forever After. All of us will get an early sniff of Donkey (Eddie Murphy), Puss (Antonio Banderas), Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and Shrek (Mike Myers) when the teaser trailer debuts in front of Avatar on December 18th.

Shrek Forever After reunites the entire gaggle of fairytale creatures from the last three movies, as well as introducing Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn), who, from what I gather of the plot, turns Shrek’s world upside down and sends him to some bizarre, alternate reality Far Far Away where Donkey is a genius, Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) is still ruler and Shrek and Fiona have never met.

First look: 'Shrek Forever After': Fourth, final film is first in 3-D

No Shrek outing would be complete without new characters, and there are a bunch. Comedians Kathy Griffin and Kristin Schaal (Flight of the Conchords) are witches who hunt ogres. On the side of good is an underground resistance group led by Jon Hamm of Mad Men. "He is the best-looking ogre you've ever seen," Mitchell says.

So does Shrek Forever After wrap up with everyone living happily ever after? "I hate to give away the ending," Mitchell says, "but yes."

Nutcracker Week: Susan Jeffers

Today for Nutcracker week, I offer the picture book by Susan Jeffers, The Nutcracker.

This is one of my favorite versions because the simple, short prose makes it easy to share with young childrena and the illustrations are just lovely. Jeffers has illustrated several fairy tales over the years and several other "winter" or holiday tales. Her version of Silent Night is my favorite to share with children and their parents.


Here are some reviews, courtesty of Amazon:

"Energetic and child-friendly...Jeffers’s soft watercolors...capture both the drama of the classic story and the elegance of choreography." -- Publishers Weekly

"Jeffers’ lush watercolors...will wholly satisfy families...this treatment will earn curtain calls galore." -- ALA Booklist

"Skillfully retold with just a few lines of text per page...an excellent introduction to the ballet for younger children." -- Kirkus Reviews

"[Jeffers’s] romantic, detail-rich illustrations are based on the Balanchine ballet...Jeffers offers a satisfying extension" -- The Horn Book

I didn't have many images to share from this book, but do look for it at your bookstore or library. My sister and her husband have a collection of holiday books, one to read each night of the month up to Christmas as a literary advent calendar. This is the version of The Nutcracker I recommend for such a collection.

'Brick By Boring Brick' Video

Another offering for the Monday after holiday blues, the new music video of 'Brick by Boring Brick' by Paramore:



I've been saving this one, waiting for the video premiere after reading Paramore Reveal Secrets Of 'Brick By Boring Brick' Video and Paramore Take Us Behind The Scenes Of 'Brick By Boring Brick' Video a while back.

Well, the video premiered a week or so ago and so I'm sharing its fairy tale rich imagery.

Link to the lyrics on the Paramore site. You can read the lyrics and play one of my favorite games, "identify the fairy tale references." There's not a lot but enough to play the game for 60 seconds or so.

It's alternative rock, emo, pop punk and such so not for all tastes. I'm happy to give a plug for some other Nashvillians (or Franklin, TN) which is close enough to be the same thing for most of us.

'Once Upon a Stiletto' Fashion Show

Part of today's new: 'Once Upon a Stiletto': CU's Fashion Design Student Association puts a twist on fairy tales

Here are some excerpts from the article. Perhaps more imagery will be available after the show because I know many of us would be interested in seeing it!

University of Colorado student designers are spinning fables into fashion.

"We have eight designers who are inspired to take on a fairy tale, what it means to be a princess and translate it into their own collection," said junior Tyne Hall, the club's president.

There will be different takes on fairy tale princesses, "Rupunzel" and "Alice in Wonderland."

Hall said her segment embodies a "Cinderella-Aerosmith love child."

"I like working with conventional ideas and twisting them," Hall said. "The ideas that are popular with people, I like to take those and create a different interpretation."

Here is also a link to the event details with a map if you are interested in attending.

Tis the Season for The Nutcracker

Every year I field several Nutcracker queries, not as many now that Wikipedia offers some reasonably accurate articles (see The Nutcracker and the Mouse King and The Nutcracker). However, most information focuses on the ballet.

My parents tossed the figurative coin over who would escort me to see the ballet when I was old enough to beg and/or ask for it as part of my Christmas presents each year. The first tape of music I ever wore out personally was of Tchaikovsky's music. So, I am quite familiar with the ballet myself although I never knew much about the story behind it. So I was one of the ballet and Nutcracker obsessed as a child. My interest waned over the years as other things grew in personal importance, but I am still fascinated with the story and its history, since that is one of the things I do.

A few years ago, the prolific Jack Zipes offered a short book with new translations of the two original Nutcracker stories that inspired the ballet as well as an introductory essay. The first is The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E. T. A. Hoffman and the second is Alexandre Dumas's adaptation of Hoffman's story.


Nutcracker and Mouse King and The Tale of the Nutcracker edited by Jack Zipes

The original stories behind everyone’s favorite Christmas ballet.

It wasn’t until the 1950s that seeing The Nutcracker at Christmastime became an American tradition. But the story itself is much older and its original intent more complex. This eye-opening new volume presents two of the tale’s earliest versions, both in new translations: E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Nutcracker and Mouse King (1816), in which a young girl is whisked away to the Land of Toys to help her animated nutcracker defeat the Mouse King, and Alexandre Dumas’s 1845 adaptation, The Tale of the Nutcracker, based on Hoffmann’s popular work. Irresistible tales of magic, mystery, and childhood adventure, these timeless delights and fresh interpretations about the importance of imagination will captivate readers of all ages.

If you are also interested in the history of the ballet and the story of how it has become so popular, I also recommend the following:


Nutcracker Nation: How an Old World Ballet Became a Christmas Tradition in the New World by Jennifer Fisher

Here's a review from Publishers Weekly:

Dance scholar, critic and former snowflake Fisher presents a lively historical and cultural analysis of The Nutcracker. The beloved ballet bonbon has been performed by the world's most prestigious dance companies, shown on television, adopted and adapted across North America, leaving one dance critic to grumble that, every year, we are all "one more Nutcracker closer to death." Still, Fisher's thoughtful account puts the phenomenon in perspective. Created in 1892 to Tchaikovsky's lush score, The Nutcracker was introduced to North America in the early 20th century by Russian touring companies and legitimized in the 1950s by George Balanchine, who had danced Lev Ivanoff's original steps at St. Petersburg's Maryinsky Theater. Balanchine choreographed his own distinctly Americanized version, adding it to the New York City Ballet's annual holiday repertoire. Televised in the late 1950s, NYCB's Nutcracker was seen across the continent, and as baby boomers were sent off to ballet classes, The Nutcracker became the perfect vehicle to showcase their talents. With its secular holiday appeal, it also became a moneymaker for struggling regional dance companies, who lent their versions of the ballet a unique flavor-hulas in Hawaii, cowboys in Arizona, cross-dressing in Mark Morris's The Hard Nut. Fisher deconstructs many of these versions, analyzing how the ballet has become both an annual ritual and a rite of passage. The Nutcracker may be, as Fisher writes, "the ballet we love to hate," a "cliche‚ in a world that craves constant innovation," but she also explains why it has become a meaningful ritual that Americans have "taken to heart." 40 illus.

I plan to make this week a Nutcracker week, sharing more books and music connected to the story and ballet in addition to my regular posts. This tale has certainly become part of our folklore and traditions and deserves a little time.

Scary Tales Card Game

Here is another fairy tale card game that came out this year from Playroom Entertainment. This one comes in sets of decks with two released so far: Scary Tales Deck 1 Little Red Riding Hood vs. Pinnochio and Scary Tales Deck 2 The Giant vs Snow White. You can play with one deck or increase the deck by adding the second one. I imagine if the game does well, we will see other decks, too, but so far the company website is under construction and far, far from helpful.


Here's the publisher's description:

The bards have sung of Scary Tales in the kingdom of old. The king has died, leaving no heirs, and all has fallen into shadow. The enchanted forest is feared. The castle is covered in dark clouds. Evil has crept into the lives of the townsfolk and the corruption has affected all. Only those with the utmost abilities in strength, wisdom, magic and luck will be able to collect enough relics from the stories of long ago to prove themselves worthy of being the new leader...Little Red is a scorned girl on a mission to prove that you may be able to fool her once, but you can't fool her twice! Pinocchio is a fibbing, scheming puppet that won't let you pull his strings. They both want to rule over the land, and they've got the drive to win. With the help of their companions, the Woodsman and the Cricket, each of them will be tough to beat.Add another deck and use any combination of characters to make a 2 - 4 player game: Scary Tales - The Giant vs. Snow White For 2 players (if playing with only one deck; each deck adds up to two players), ages 10 and up. Playing time: 20 minutes.

I found this review of the game at Our panel plays, grades the board games of 2009:

Scary Tales (Playroom, $15; 2 players; age 13+; 20 min.) This card game by inventor Reiner Knizia imagines fairy-tale characters as bad-ass cartoon warriors locked in a struggle for valuable relics. Your ability to steal your opponent's relics depends on dice rolls, supplemented by whatever special abilities you may have gathered, and the whole thing is pleasant but not very challenging; in particular, there's no defense and thus no real interaction between players. Combining card decks for a multi-player game is somewhat more rewarding - but then of course you have to buy it twice.

And note that Little Red Riding Hood gets a game again. She gets around.

More Fairy Tale Oriented Activity Books

This was originally supposed to post on Friday, but many of the book image files were corrupted and have resulted in technical difficulties for me all weekend. A simple, easy entry turned into a nightmare, so here is what I've accomplished without much elaboration because I am ready to move on to something else. So here this is, better late than never:

I have given Dover Publications a lot of press this week since they offer so many fairy tale themed books. However, another favorite publisher is Usborne. They also offer many activity themed books great for kids and many use fairy tale tropes even if they aren't specifically themed to fairy tales. Here are some to explore:


Fairytale Things to Make And Do


50 Fairy Things to Make and Do


Fairy Things to Stitch and Sew

Enter the wonderful world of fairytales in this enchanting book. Follow the simple steps to created a cast of fairytale characters such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and even your very own Frog Prince. You can also discover how to make a magic fairy wand and a fairytale princess tiara.

Princess Things to Make and Do


Sparkly Things to Make and Do


Mermaid Things To Make And Do


Wizard Things to Make And Do


Wizard, Pirate And Princess Things to Make And Do

Knights and Castles Things to Make and Do

Charge into a world of fighting knights and towering castles in this exciting activity book. Follow the simple steps to make a model castle with a wind-drawbridge jousting knights a fire-breathing dragon picture and lots more. There are over 250 shiny silver sticker for you to decorate the things youve made. 6 years and up.