Shobna Patel's "The Nutcracker" is a fabulous child-friendly version of the classic play and musical masterpiece, telling the story of the brave Nutcracker.
The book comes along just in time to establish itself as a shoe-in for a christmas book purchase, telling the tale of a family gathering, an amazing christmas party and the magical things that happen once the clock strikes midnight.
Many children will be unfamiliar with this classic tale (who could forget the Sugar Plum Fairy and the amazing Land of Sweets).
The real innovation in Shobna's version of the story comes from her expertise in paper engineering and laser cut artwork, with special sections of the book folding out to show off characters and scenes from the story.
The abridged text makes for an entertaining and kid-friendly story that's as dazzling and magical as Shobna's amazing papercraft.
You can see Shobna below, hard at work in her studio - and definitely visit her website at http://shobhnapatel.com for more stunning examples of her illustrative and crafting work.
Definitely the sort of book to treasure for many years to come (just make sure little ones treat the book carefully and delicately, the papercraft laser cut illustrations are beautifully intricate and very delicate so definitely keep this one until they're a bit older).
It's a lovely atmospheric story to read aloud, and worth hunting out a copy of the music to accompany the book while you read.
"The Nutcracker" by Shobna Patel is out today, 19th October 2017, published by Thames and Hudson.