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(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Joseph Cowman.
On The Nutcracker's opening night, chaos spreads backstage in a litany of costume, set, and prop problems. It looks as though the show will be canceled--but then St. Nicholas and the (actual) Sugar-Plum Fairy come to the rescue. This ballet-centric parody capably follows the cadence and rhyme scheme of "The Night Before Christmas." Humor and holiday wonder infuse the text and dynamic illustrations.