The Nutcracker Story Book Set and Advent Calendar Calendar – Advent Calendar, August 1, 2011

This advent calendar is created out of a sturdy "cardboard" ~ it should last for years if taken care of.It opens in the front and can stand up sort of in a tri-fold fashion. The way the cover is designed, it looks like you're opening up on a play.The little books are held in place by a plastic sleeve which slips on & off relatively easily. I'm not sure it was meant to be reusuable, but it is. Just be careful and slip it off and then replace it after you've used it ~ to store for next year.Each little book has a little gold cord which allows you to hang them like ornaments.The small books vary in size, but each are three pages ~ The cover, the page, the back cover ~ of text & fully colored illustrations.I will say (I believe) the text is more advanced than a small child might read at, but I think this would be enjoyed no matter the age.Please note the main character is named Marie and NOT Clara ~ if that's important to you.There are 24 books.**I purchased four of these ~ Two for my own daughters and two for my nieces ~ I'm so glad I did. These are BEAUTIFUL ~ I really can't recommend them enough. You will not be sorry.

This is a beautiful advent calendar, and exactly what I was looking for when trying to find something for my daughter, who is an avid reader. The little books are around 3-4 pages each so they are pretty small, but just the fact that she gets to read a new book each night is amazing for her. I think we could reuse it in future years as well or use the books as ornaments after she reads them.I have to give a shout out to the seller, Amazon. I had previously ordered a calendar that I thought was made up of different books for each night, but turned out to be only 1 novel instead. My daughter was disappointed so I quickly ordered this calendar. Of course, it was already past the first day, and the site originally said it would take extra time to process the order. I thought that was better than her having something she didn't like at all so I went ahead and ordered it. It arrived the NEXT DAY after I ordered it! I was so amazed and so happy I could provide her with something else so quickly. Thank you AMAZON for once again saving the day!!!

Beautiful advent calendar with little books you can read each night telling the story of the Nutcracker. My son always looked forward to reading a new one each night when he was younger. We purchased this as a gift for my three nieces to enjoy over the holiday season.

My boys (2 and 5) and I loved reading the story of the Nutcracker, advent calendar style. My two year old especially was fascinated with the tiny books. The books themselves are very sturdy. I only took off a star because I wish the main part that all the books sit it was more durable. We accidentally ripped a few of the corners that hold the books in place and I bent the main backing part when I tried to carry it by the corner with one hand. *my two year old is not super destructive so your mileage may vary =)

Someone at work had a similar calendar for A Christmas Carol and I thought this would be a unique way to do Advent this year, and it was. Each day gives you a tiny snippet of the Nutcracker story. My only complaint was that the pockets where the little books came out of didn't have numbers. So if you had multiple books out, or chose to hang them on the tree (as they are also ornaments), you couldn't put them back in the same place. The numbers could have been in the inside of the pocket, behind the book. Not really a big issue since they don't have to be in any order, but it would have been nice to have that option.

This big book consisting of 24 little books was awesome! My son absolutely loved reading the little books each day. We recorded him reading each part and posted it online. It was a wonderful book at a great price. We now have a new family tradition!!

I was so pleased to find this. I had purchased one for my daughter years ago and was damaged in a flood. This is well made and each ornament has a little piece of the story so by Christmas Eve, the story is complete. It's a great gift and for us, a wonderful holiday tradition.

Opening the doors is a family tradition that my four kids and I cherish, I bought one for each of my children so they can do the same with their children one day.

Enchanting. This is quite a young child's ballet calendar but its so pretty and colourful I know I shall have mine on display regardless. Each window holds a book which tells part of the story of the Nutcracker which is the most beautiful Christmas ballet ever and for me, seeing that ballet is part of my Christmas and usually the start of it. Because it is for children (and I would say 10 and under) it tells the story very simply so for children who don't know the story and never saw the ballet this would be a good starting point. Nevertheless I remain a convert and I shan't see childhood again. Enchanting is a very apt description for all aspects of it. Most unusual and there is NO CHOCOLATE whatsoever in this product.

My 5 year old loves this! She can read some of the little books herself. She goes for this calendar first thing in the morning (we don't do chocolate ones but she has not asked for a chocolate calendar instead of this one!) You just have to be a bit careful lifting the books out as the cardboard tabs holding them in are a little flimsy.

a lovely alternative to chocolate advent calenders - my 8 year old daughter felt inspired to start reading in English (we're a bilingual family Swiss/English living in Switzerland) and now wants to read all of of her English story books that I have been reading herself! We also both enjoyed how the whole Nutcracker fits cleverly on the few pages of the tiny booklets.

BOught this for my 4 y o GodDaughter and she absolutely loved it. It's really well put together. We honestly thought it would be a bit old for her, or not 'fun' enough compared to all her other toys, but she's ended up going to this advent calendar first before her chocolate one every morning. She even took it to show and tell! Really fantastic gift.

Best advent calender. The whole family can enjoy sitting down every evening to read bite size pieces of this magical story. I had it whilst growing up and loved it so much I brought it for a friends kids for Christmas.