The nutcracker ( reading) usborne young reading

Chapter 1 Christmas Eve 3 Chapter 2 The mystery present 8 Chapter 3 The magic begins 12 Chapter 4 Sleigh bells ringing 25 Chapter 5 The Land of Sweets 35 metal tool for cracking nutsh

\uteracker Retold by Emma Helbrough

Illustrated by Anna Luraschi

Reading Consultant: Alison Kelly

Roehampton University

Contents Chapter 1

- Christmas Eve _

Chapter 1 Christmas Eve 3 Chapter 2 The mystery present 8 Chapter 3 The magic begins 12 Chapter 4 Sleigh bells ringing 25 Chapter 5 The Land of Sweets 35

metal tool for cracking nutshells

treat Some nutcrackers were

3

“He’s here!” she cried,

dancing over and flinging

) A open the door

guest hadn’t arrived Clara

watched for him at the window

he told Clara, as he placed

a package under the tree

Clara loved her godfather’s visits

Something magical always

6

Finally, Clara tiptoed

downstairs She soon found

the present, tied up with a big

red bow On the ribbon there

was a tag with a message

sleep She lay in bed thinking

about her present “It can’t

hurt if I just have a little peek,” she thought

8

“T wonder what Godfather

means,” thought Clara

9

Slowly, Clara untied the Just then, the clock struck

bow and folded back a corner midnight Clara gave an

Inside, she found a wooden minutes, she was fast asleep

nutcracker doll, dressed like under the tree

a soldier

She looked around and saw she was under the Christmas tree

Clara woke up with a start,

Out of the corner of her eye, “Don’t be afraid, Clara I

something leaping around voice Clara was astonished

Frightened, she darted

behind a present

Her doll had come to life!

“T’m the Nutcracker Prince,”

| he said, with a bow, “and I’m

behind her Clara spun around mice are plotting to kidnap you.”

Wheel out

“Steady, men steady,”

he shouted “Wait for the

signal — and FIRE!”

Huge lumps of cheese flew from the cannons and struck down several mice Some

lumps landed in the corners and the other mice scampered

after them

\ men!” roared the

; & nee as the last

ey mouse vanished

# > But the fight

wasn't over yet

“Bravo,” said Xu

an evil voice from the

se take more than that to

» beat me! Now

hand over the

“I'd rather die!” said the prince

“That can be arranged,” the Mouse King sneered

A mouse wearing a crown

Soon, the prince and the Mouse King were locked in battle Their swords clanged

as they danced around the room

cream cheese Take that,

J} : rodent!

Then disaster struck The prince tripped on a lump of cheese and sprawled on the floor Seizing his chance, the Mouse King put his sword

to the prince’s neck

4

Well, well,

well

“Im going to enjoy

this,” he said, laughing

23

As the Mouse King pulled back his sword, Clara whipped

off her shoe and threw it as

hard as she could at his head

He fell in a heap on the

floor — knocked out cold

Chapter 4

Sleigh bells ringing

Clara rushed over to the prince

“Are you alright?” she cried

“Yes — thanks to you,” he

said “We must celebrate,” he

added as Clara helped him up

“T know just the place.”

25

The prince led Clara to a

golden sleigh behind the

Christmas tree and helped

her aboard

“Off we go, boys!” the prince

called to his four reindeer

°

As theu gathered speed, the sleigh started to rise up into

the air They rode out through

an open window and into

the night —

stop,” the prince announced @ > my good friend, the Ice Queen,” lÌ

a “Hold on, we’re going down!” _ said the prince

: The snow crunched under A } | |

t | the reindeers’ feet as they

land 28 À .A What a lovely \¥ |

tanc = a surprise! 5

The queen led them to h

icy palace, which glisten

in the moonlight

Inside, icicle chandeliers hung

from every ceiling

“You've arrived in time for the

dances!” said the queen, as they

walked into a grand ballroom

A piano began to play

and eight ballerinas dressed

in silver and white twirled

into the middle of the room

They twinkled like snowflakes

as they spun around

32

“Tl always remember this,”

whispered Clara to the prince,

as the music came to an end

of catch with the palace poodle, it was time to leave §

33

“Yes, we really do,” said the

prince “There’s someone else I want you to meet and we don’t have much time.”

bursting with marshmallow

blossoms, and lollipop flowers sprouted from the ground

35

Then Clara saw that the Before them stood a huge

“Where are we?” she asked, | A2 4© nr amazed a 7», if /_—

the prince replied FF G AAAAD ARM =e

Lifting Clara from the sleigh,

he set her down on the palace

steps and a fanfare of trumpets

rang out At the top, the doors

Fairy,” said the prince “She rules over the Land of Sweets.”

“I hope you have a sweet

tooth,” said the

Sugarplum Fairy, with a smile

She led them into a grand

hall, where the tables were covered with chocolate cakes,

cookies and candy swirls

39

“Watch the wobbly chairs,” First came the dance of

sat down “They’re made of spun around to snapping

raspberry mousse!” castanets

Clara ate until she thought she’d pop

After the feast, a band struck

up and dancers from around

the world performed for Clara

{>} ` A |

of coffee A beautiful Arabian ` had come all the way from

_ to soft, soothing music

| Many more dances followed,

each one showing something good to eat or drink

43

{>} ` A |

of coffee A beautiful Arabian ` had come all the way from

_ to soft, soothing music

| Many more dances followed,

each one showing something good to eat or drink

43

When Clara woke up, she was back under the Christmas tree and the prince

was gone

Only her doll lay beside her

“Oh, it was only a dream,” she cried “But it seemed so real.”

Just then, Clara spotted the tag that her godfather had attached to her present

Later, it was adapted by Alexander Dumas, a

French writer who also wrote The Three Musketeers

In 1892, a Russian composer named Tchaikovsky turned the version by Dumas into a ballet, which

is now performed all over the world

Series editor: Lesley Sims Designed by Russell Punter and

Natacha Goransky

First published in 2004 by Usborne Publishing Ltd., Usborne House,

83-85 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8RT, England www.usborne.com

Copyright © 2004 Usborne Publishing Ltd

All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher The name Usborne and the devices 2 @ are Trade Marks of Usborne Publishing Ltd

Printed in China UE First published in America in 2005

48

USBORNE YOUNG READING: SERIES ONE

When Clara opens a special present on Christmas Eve,

she finds an unusual doll inside But the doll is more than

unusual — it’s magic Soon Clara is setting off on an incredible journey through the Land of Snow and Ice, and on to the

most spectacular place she has ever seen

The Nutcracker is in Series One of Usborne Young Reading,

which combines good stories with easy reading text

Usborne Young Reading has been developed in consultation

with Alison Kelly, Senior Lecturer at Roehampton University

Series One is for readers who have just started reading alone

Series Two is for readers who are growing in confidence

Series Three is for readers who are ready for longer stories

Find out about all the titles available at

www.usborne.com

£4.99

JFMAM JASOND/13 02015/8

Printed in Dongguan, Guangdong, China

Made with paper from a sustainable source