A Christmas Eve tradition becomes a saga of epic proportions when young Marie Stahlbaum's beloved Nutcracker defends her against the dreaded Mouse King's army. As Marie recovers after the battle, Godfather Drosselmeier relates Nutcracker's sad tale, and the compassionate girl sees the truth behind the toy-like veneer. This unabridged edition of Hoffmann's classic, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, is artfully illustrated by Roberto Innocenti and reissued for a new generation of storytellers and listeners.