Waltz of the Snowflakes

Mackay lovingly traces a child’s first experience of “The Nutcracker” in a wordless story that brims with emotion. Pale, dreary scenes open on a rainy winter night, as a girl bristles at having to get dressed up to go to the ballet with her grandmother. Once the ballet begins, color seeps into the images, and the girl’s eyes open wide with delight. Readers see the ballet in progress and audience reactions from the girl, her grandmother, and a boy sitting next to the girl,with whom she develops a shy connection as their skepticism and restlessness is replaced by a sense of wonder. Mackay’s signature cut-paper techniques are especially well suited to a story of the stage as she gracefully explores the magical moment when a theatergoer becomes more than a passive observer and is never quite the same again. Ages 4–8. Agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Oct.)