Sweet narrative about a 7-year-old's special day taking a trip to the Nutcracker for the first time with her grandfather. As always, it seems, Bunting addresses serious and solemn issues delicately (such as how this event brings back memories of the girl's mother who died young). The tone is not depressing, though. The beautiful oil paintings rich with visible texture are more than half of why this book's a treasure.


P.S. My 11-year-old boy was not at all impressed with this book; he is obviously not the intended audience.
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