For Suzanne

Suzanne started a Kid's Pick Tuesday a while back. In her honor (and because I'm a librarian and also love books), I'm also going to feature a children's book each Tuesday.

Today's is a gorgeous -- gorgeous -- book that you all simply must have.

This particular version of Nutcracker is staged by The New York City Ballet and was choreographed by George Ballanchine. We first saw it YEARS ago when Becca and Noelle were 2 and 5. It was the Christmas before Emily was born and I was great with child. Keith was out of town for work and we went to the movie store to rent movies. We picked out Home Alone for the girls and then I grabbed The Nutcracker for me. I was desperate for a bit of culture in the cultural dry land of SE Arkansas. I assumed the girls would love the crazy antics of Home Alone and that I would get to stay up by myself and have a poetic respite to the pine needles and rain that filled those winters.

I was wrong.

Becca and Noelle were mesmerized by the beautiful images in front of them. We watched Nutcracker.

And then we watched it again.

And the next morning? We watched it again.

The next weekend? We rented it again and watched it again.

I'm pretty sure we never got around to watching Home Alone. Why would you if this were your other option?

It was hard to find. One movie place in town had it and they eventually got rid of it. Several years passed and I was thrilled to find a used copy of it when Movie Gallery finally moved to town. We watched that copy so much that it eventually died. I think we all cried a bit.

Last year, we finally found a dvd on Amazon. Of course we bought it! When I found the book at Barnes and Noble last year, I snatched it up.

If you love Christmas tradition, beautiful music, and especially if you have a little dancer in your life, you simply must own this book and find the movie version.

Happy dreaming and dancing.