Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

The plot structure of The Nutcracker ballet's first act is used as the inspiration for this Jazz Age-era story about a shy girl in Harlem. Marie loves Christmas, but she is rather overwhelmed at her family's large Christmas party with singing, dancing, and piano music provided by her uncle Cab. Marie is encouraged to sing at the party, but she has no confidence in her musical abilities. She falls asleep under the Christmas tree with her gift, a nutcracker drummer boy, a present from Uncle Cab. A dream sequence begins, incorporating elements from the ballet, with dancers, soldiers, the transformed Nutcracker, and an army of uniformed mice. A dramatic battle ensues between the soldiers and the mice, and Marie halts the fighting by playing the Nutcracker's drum and scaring the mice away. She dances with the Nutcracker, transformed into a handsome young black man, and then finds the confidence to sing. Marie's dream ends on Christmas morning, and one of her gifts is her own blue drum, matching the drum she used in her dream. Radiant watercolor illustrations use a palette of glowing jewel tones, especially deep blues and brilliant fuchsia for Marie's flowing dress. All the characters are African-American, with the women in Marie's family wearing coats and hats of the period. An author's note provides information about the Harlem Renaissance and the inspiration for the story. An intriguing integration of The Nutcracker's magic into a new setting and a welcome addition to the shelf of Nutcracker-themed picture books. (Picture book. 4-8)

ALA Booklist (Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

A grand house in Harlem fills with music and dancing on a Christmas Eve in the 1920s. Beside the decorated tree, Uncle Cab gives young Marie a drummer boy nutcracker. Late that night, the tree magically grows to enormous height, while the nutcracker plays his drum, and the toy soldiers and dolls dance. When an army of mice attacks and the drummer falls, Marie beats his drum to rally the troops, who drive away the mice. Marie awakens on Christmas morning and joins her family and guests in singing a holiday song. Drawing on his memories of working as a stagehand for the Dance Theatre of Harlem, McMorrow bases his story on Hoffmann's classic but gives it a Harlem Renaissance setting and tweaks the details as well. From the dreamy, lyrical jacket illustration to the moonlit street scene to the beautifully individualized portrayals of characters in period clothing, Ransome's deep-toned watercolor paintings bring the story and its Jazz Age background to life on the page. A familiar ballet story, reinterpreted with style.

Horn Book (Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

McMorrow's atmospheric Nutcracker re-visioning is set during the Harlem Renaissance. Marie receives a drummer boy nutcracker at a Christmas party where she feels everyone else has musical talent; she finds her own voice through a dream (or is it?) in which her drumming halts a mouse battle. Ransome's watercolors, with rich dark blues and reds, ably transition from bustling party scenes to Marie's exciting dream world.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

The plot structure of The Nutcracker ballet's first act is used as the inspiration for this Jazz Age-era story about a shy girl in Harlem. Marie loves Christmas, but she is rather overwhelmed at her family's large Christmas party with singing, dancing, and piano music provided by her uncle Cab. Marie is encouraged to sing at the party, but she has no confidence in her musical abilities. She falls asleep under the Christmas tree with her gift, a nutcracker drummer boy, a present from Uncle Cab. A dream sequence begins, incorporating elements from the ballet, with dancers, soldiers, the transformed Nutcracker, and an army of uniformed mice. A dramatic battle ensues between the soldiers and the mice, and Marie halts the fighting by playing the Nutcracker's drum and scaring the mice away. She dances with the Nutcracker, transformed into a handsome young black man, and then finds the confidence to sing. Marie's dream ends on Christmas morning, and one of her gifts is her own blue drum, matching the drum she used in her dream. Radiant watercolor illustrations use a palette of glowing jewel tones, especially deep blues and brilliant fuchsia for Marie's flowing dress. All the characters are African-American, with the women in Marie's family wearing coats and hats of the period. An author's note provides information about the Harlem Renaissance and the inspiration for the story. An intriguing integration of The Nutcracker's magic into a new setting and a welcome addition to the shelf of Nutcracker-themed picture books. (Picture book. 4-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

First-time author McMorrow sets this romantic reimagining of Hoffmann-s holiday ballet in 1920s Harlem, streamlining the plot while tapping into the cultural, musical, and social resonance of the Harlem Renaissance. Looking on warily as her parents host the revelers, an African-American girl named Marie is reluctant to join in the singing or dancing, despite the reassurance of a woman named Miss Addie (inspired by singer Adelaide Hall). -Music lives inside everyone,- she tells Marie. -You just have to let it out.- This proves true when Marie falls asleep and helps her nutcracker (a gift from her Cab Calloway-inspired Uncle Cab) defeat an invading mouse army with the -dum-diddy-dum- of a drum she plays. Filled with motion, emotion, and period detail, Ransome-s vivid watercolors celebrate the magic of both the fairy-tale world Marie dreams herself into and the vibrant real-life community that is eager to help her find her voice. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

School Library Journal (Sun Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

K-Gr 3Marie, an African American child, gets a drummer nutcracker figure from her Uncle Cab for Christmas and dreams about toy soldiers coming to life and their battle with the army of mice. Set in Harlem in the 1920s, this version of the classic tale features black characters, and the music is jazz, not Tchaikovsky. Ransome's watercolor illustrations enhance the story handsomely, and the author's end note gives a brief background on the Harlem Renaissance. VERDICT This is a fine addition to the canon of retellings of the E.T.A. Hoffmann tale and the perennially favorite holiday ballet.Virginia Walter, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies