Prima ballerina Karen Kain becomes a storyteller with this new picture book version of The Nutcracker, based on James Kudelka’s National Ballet production of Tchaikovsky’s well-loved piece. This version is set in Russia rather than Germany, a change that colours the atmosphere with lovely traditional Russian design elements. The plot has its limitations; after Marie (called Clara in other versions) rescues the nutcracker doll from battling cats and dogs (instead of mice), she becomes a passive dream-traveller, observing the wonders of the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

The complexities of the original story are greatly simplified here (and Hoffmann, the tale’s originator, is surprisingly not acknowledged). But Kain’s retelling is appealing, with lots of direct speech and just enough explanation to carry us from episode to episode.

As a picture book rather than a ballet, of course, its success is highly dependent on the skill of its illustrator. Rich in texture, detail, and glowing colour, Rajka Kupesic’s illustrations for Kain’s story create a world of romance, beauty, and magic – unlike Maurice Sendak’s comic, grotesque stage sets and 1984 picture book of The Nutcracker. The doll-like faces of Kupesic’s characters don’t draw us into their emotions, but rather encourage us to enter with them into this strange and splendid land, glowing with deep blue skies and golden stars. The transformation of edibles into dancing figures, and the appearance of the Fairy from inside a gigantic golden egg – both delights of the Kudelka production – are skillfully transferred to this picture book.

Kupesic’s artwork evokes the feeling of the stage sets without being a literal depiction of them; draperies frame several scenes, but like the bed-curtains and other lavishly used fabrics, they suggest a fantasy world that may be the stage, a dream, gilded memories of old Russia, or the thrill of first seeing The Nutcracker.