Culturebaby Reviews: Aesop's Fables at the Unicorn Theatre

7 year old Culturebaby is now starting to review her own events, and frankly what could be more satisfying than hearing directly from her? 

"Aesop’s Fables was great, I saw it at the Unicorn Theatre. This theatre is just for children. 

The show we saw is first about mums trying to get on but they are being competitive, while the children are just playing. [Think - clever version of the Tortoise and the Hare].

The second part of this fable is the story about dogs and wolves talking about being free, or being a pet but like a slave. I would rather be the wolf because he was a little bit hungry but he was free. 

Next I saw the story about a child called Frankie and a white crow. This story means that it doesn’t matter what you look like, but it matters if you’re kind and you have love. 

Finally the last story is about not being greedy otherwise you’ll throw up, or saving cake too long till it gets mouldy. 

My favourite story was Frankie and the white crow because it really teaches us a lesson, because it doesn’t matter what you look like, it matters if you have love. The white crow’s brothers and sisters wanted him to be gone and killed, and nobody else wanted to play with Frankie. The little girl called Frankie was sad because she was very different - nobody wanted a play date with her or to play with her, because her hair was different and she kept 'pooking' in public. But at the end all of them made friends and everybody was nice to everyone else.

People should come in and see the performance because it’s all about how are you should live your lives, about being kind, not being jealous or mean and you should respect people's rights and don’t be mean to them because they’re different. 

The setting was great because they have these boxes and they open them up and there was a special button and if you press it, it would change the story to a different one. 

The story is for ages 4 to7, but there is also another production for people over eight years old.

Aesop was a slave and a storyteller who lived in the land of Ancient Greece. He wrote 725 stories and fables."

Culturegirl, a recent five-and three quarters ish re-brand from Culturetot ("I'm not a baby mummy!") also wanted to add her rather more entertainment-oriented reflections:

"There was this type of button that you press, and when you press it, it changes into different parts of the story. My favourite part of the story was all of it. I liked the Wolfie one because it was funny. I would be the wolf because it is free. The cake one was good because if you eat it too quickly you get sick, and if you bury it for a long long time it looks like witch cake. People should come and see the show because it is funny."

So there we have it. Rave reviews. It was also worth adding that the theatre, as always, was massively welcoming and it was great to see a diversity in their staff, with their seeming deliberate recruitment approach in this area. Culturebaby sat down and had a good chat with one of the theatre stewards about how he could relate directly to her analysis of the tale of Frankie and the White Crow. It was a touching and mutually upbuilding moment.

The Unicorn notes: "We considered doing all 725 fables and then thought better of it. What we’ve done instead is asked a few of our favourite writers to select one fable and to re-tell it for today’s audience. We’re presenting two versions of the results: one for ages 4-7 and one for ages 8-12. This is a celebration of young and old, ancient and new – a tribute to how fresh, bold and vibrant the classics remain today."

While we ended up seeing this performance later on in its run, we hope this show might return. We've loved everything we have seen at the Unicorn and you can see all their future programming here.

The images included in this post are courtesy of the Unicorn Theatre and Guy Rhys, Craig Sugden, Jessica Hayles, Rosie Wyatt, Jessica Hayles, Nathaniel Wade, Jessica Hayles and Shazia Nicholls respectively.

George's Marvellous Medicine & Chocolate Cake - Scrumptious Easter Theatre for Kids

We are really lucky in South West London to have two theatres that are fantastic for children. The family programming at The Rose in Kingston is of a really high quality, and this Easter we also went on our first visit to the Polka in Wimbledon - a theatre dedicated exclusively to children between 0 and 14 complete with café and play areas.

On Good Friday we joined a packed audience at the Rose to see George's Marvellous Medicine. It was rather the local event - lots of people from the area have mentioned that they have been and loved it. I think this is fabulous - theatres should be at the heart of community, part of the warp and weft of our family routines. The offer at the Rose is so fantastic it never fails to deliver - this time we took one of Culturebaby's friends - its a great idea for a slightly different playdate.

The girls are really getting into Roald Dahl. We have a great set of audiobooks that we listen to on long journeys and as a real surprise this year Culturebaby passed over any opportunity to wear a ball gown or a tutu and went to World Book Day at school as Matilda, clutching a basketful of books. They hadn't yet read George's Marvellous Medicine, so this interactive, fun and musical production was a great introduction to this Dahl classic.

George is on half term and can't wait to crack open his latest novel, but unexpectedly (and equally unwelcomely) his grumpy Grandma announces her imminent arrival to stay... indefinitely. Wielding a buzzer and using it regularly, his Grandmother proves both mean and demanding. George resolves to cure her mood with a fantastical medicine of his own invention. I was reminded on watching quite how deathly this medicine really would have been (and the cast took great pains to reiterate 'don't try this at home') but somehow George's marvellous medicine proves far from toxic - instead on ingestion it causes spectacular growth...

What we loved about this colourful and high energy production (with a Grandma who really did steal the show) was the extent to which a delighted audience were involved. In a test of observation, we had to help George create his medicine and then piece back together the initial concoction when more was required. The young audience did rather well...

 CHANDNI MISTRY INTERVIEW – GEORGE‘S MARVELLOUS MEDICINE

Chandni Mistry, who plays the role of the Chicken, talks about the production.

“I’m so excited to be part of this show! Our production of George’s Marvellous Medicine shows how imagination is the most amazing thing, not just for kids but for adults too. All George wants to do over his school holiday is read a book but the adults keep getting in the way. To get around that, he finds the most ridiculously inventive ways to have fun again. 

“When I first got the part I really didn’t know what to expect. Obviously I play a giant Chicken but exactly how we’d make that happen on stage was a mystery to me. Our Director, Julia Thomas, has a brilliant eye for creativity and invention that keeps everything a surprise and a little unexpected. I’m certainly not your typical Chicken!   

“One thing I’ve got to say about this show is how amazing the cast and creative team are. Everyone is giving their all behind the scenes and up on stage, I think that really shows too –you can’t get up in front of audiences as a Chicken or a grumpy Joan Collins-esque Grandma and be even a little bit shy. It’s all or nothing!  

“This is a kids’ show but it really is fun for the entire family. Julia Thomas and our Designer Morgan Large have packed the production full of references to modern life that keep it current and fun for all ages. Tasha Taylor-Johnson, our Composer, has also infused the show with this incredibly funky, hip hop soundtrack that you can’t help but want to move to. It’s a brilliant vibe. 

“We do have a strong ‘don’t try this at home’ message in the show but we’re also really inspiring creativity and entrepreneurship in our audiences. A lot of our props are made from recycled objects and we actually spent hours when rehearsals first began just letting our imaginations run wild and making the props that you see on stage, from pigs to milkshake machines. It was great for us to get in that creative zone and the things we made from the most random objects absolutely work in George’s world. 

“This is the first time I’ve ever performed in an adaptation of one of Roald Dahl’s stories but I’ve always loved him as a writer. I remember reading his stories when I was younger and finding them so funny, there’s a lot of nostalgia for me in this production. That’s the great things about Dahl – kids are still reading his stories and are coming to the theatre with their parents who also read the books when they were children. They have this universal appeal that brings everyone together which is fantastic to make come to life on stage."

“I think my favourite thing about this production (and there are lots to choose from!) is the reaction we get from audiences each performance. Hearing the crowd laugh and enjoy the show is just the best feeling you can have.”

George's Marvellous Medicine is touring and is currently in Liverpool.

We were also very pleasantly surprised by our first trip to the Polka to see Michael Rosen's Chocolate Cake. We love his writing but this piece was a first for us. It's wonderful to go to the theatre to celebrate already loved books or productions, but it is also a joy to experience new ones, to go not knowing what to expect, and to come away the richer. Chocolate Cake is a musical play based on a poem by Michael Rosen (now a book) and in the production we meet a young Michael, his older brother and his mother. Michael looks up to his older brother who he perceives to be much cooler, funnier, and cleverer than him - but he doesn't see his own strengths. Michael's favourite treat is chocolate cake. He dreams about it, creates stories about it, and looks forward with impatience to the next opportunity to eat some - his brother's birthday. The evening before the party an enormous cake created by his mother is stored safely in the kitchen, ready and waiting. The anticipation proves just too much for Michael. He wakes in the night and creeps downstairs...

There are some wonderful touches in the show. It is very human - messages of handling temptation, forgiveness, patience and family love and the music was excellent. Mark Houston who plays Michael has a really great voice and his '50s style song 'I'm Sorry' was a real highlight. Although we never know whether the story is true, we realise that Michael is in fact a young Rosen. His mother talks about his creative imagination and that his poem about a bear hunt was mentioned by the teacher as the best in class. We are left wondering whether he too had a brother that he felt in awe of. We all really enjoyed the production.

Set designer Verity Quinn talks in the programme about her inspiration for the design of Chocolate Cake. "I wanted to create a design which felt a bit like a living pop-up book of Michael's mind, using geometric shapes and bold colours which could pop out and fold away to celebrate the creativity and imagination of Michael's life., I was especially inspired by the abstract colour block paintings of Piet Mondrian, by Pop artists Claus Oldenburg, Patrick Caulfield and Roy Lichtenstein and by Russian interior designer Daria Zinovatnaya... I love the freedom there is at Polka to create unusual worlds that are full of possibilities. It's a really unusual space to design for which challenges me to be inventive and there's a fantastic production team here who bring the designs to life with skill and ingenuity."

Why not try some Mondrian-inspired follow on art activities on our blog here.

You kind find out more about the excellent programming at the Rose theatre here, and the Polka here. The Rose has recently announced its 2018 Christmas show, a festive new version with original music of the Brothers’ Grimm classic Hansel & Gretel written by Ciaran McConville, who returns to the theatre following last year’s successful adaptation of Alice in Winterland (see our review here). Rosie Jones will direct a cast of local young actors from Rose Youth Theatre led by a team of professional actors. The production opens on Fri 14 Dec, with previews from Thu 6 Dec, and runs until Sun 6 Jan 2019.

Chocolate Cake is touring to a range of locations around the country.

Disclaimer: We received tickets to the performances in exchange for an honest review. All views as always are our own. Photographs courtesy of the Polka and Rose theatres.

Classical Babies - Six of the Best Regular Concerts for Little People

Back from yet another brilliantly accessible and engaging concert for the youngest of children, I wanted to round up some of the very best of the concert series we have encountered to date with the girls. Some of these are monthly, some annual and many have locations outside of London. From fancy dress and Christmas enchantment to opera for babies and an orchestra led by a Gruffalo there is something for everyone. What they all have in common is that they respect the child as able to appreciate the most mature music, use excellent musicians, engage and explain, are often immensely fun, and are just as uplifting for the accompanying adult as the child.

One of the fabulous things about living near London, is the kaleidoscopic array of cultural opportunities for children, and within this, there are some really exciting initiatives within the Tot's music scene. Happily, Classical Babies, has now rolled out to venues in Manchester and Surrey, and Bach to Baby visits venues in Essex, Kent, Surrey and the Thames Valley. In these welcoming, and often very beautiful, environments the child is king - feeding is accepted, crying is expected and toddlers can happily dance and have the opportunity to examine live instruments. Parents can meanwhile sip coffee and listen to excellent live music that may otherwise be out of their reach at this time in their lives.

1. First the critically-acclaimed Bach to Baby. The girls are regulars at these wonderful concerts, and we often see familiar faces. Founder Miaomiao talks about the many children growing up with them. We particularly love that there are now weekend specials locally in Teddington. Culturebaby has started school so she can join us at these weekend concerts and she still loves them. A few months ago we even witnessed a trumpeter create an instrument from a garden hose (held by a multitude of toddlers) and a funnel. Our first ever session, and one of my favourites, was in Highbury where Oliver Weston, professional saxophonist and Jazz educator, and Jonathan Taylor, professional pianist and jazz teacher, took us on a great journey through the history of Jazz from the 1920s to modern day. They talked us through each piece and I felt like I too learned something and had an enriching experience for myself - so important back when the children were tiny and I spent all day in toddler classes or playing with pre-lingual tots. Since then we've seen a host of other instruments. The children are able to wander freely in these concerts, dance and look forward to a selection of nursery rhymes at the end of the session. There's now a Bach to Baby CD available called Miniatures. It features Miaomiao playing high quality and memorable piano pieces chosen for children.

2. Award-winning Classical Babies, also happily featured in Teddington venues amongst others, is another brilliant concert programme. On entering the beautiful venues, children find mats, cushions and soft toys to relax with. Our first concert was a Christmas one complete with a basket of instruments for everyone to play along with, we've seen string concerts, contemporary composition, and most recently we went along to the stunning Grade 2* listed Normansfield Theatre to see the cast of Don Pasquale perform scenes from the opera in full costume! Opera for children might seem to the onlooker rather a stretch but the children were gripped. Babies crawled forward to listen, the children laughed at the comedic gestures and expressions of the actors and we watched as one toddler stood utterly enthrawled unmoving for a significant period of time. The actors were exceptionally good with their miniature audience, engaging them, lying beside them, serenading soft toys, and they even (to the children's delight) roped in a few parents for cameo, if silent, roles. What an entirely wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.



3. With a rather different format, Wigmore Hall's Chamber Tots are the most interactive and immersive of the concerts we have attended. The small group of children begin their musical journey in a room below the theatre. We started with a percussion warm-up, led by a drummer the children were encouraged to follow the rhythms and beat along. Instruments were freely distibuted. Then, with the support of a narrator and a pair of professional violinists, the children were invited to compose and suggest the next steps in a completely kinetic experience. Using their bodies to suggest the next move, to which violins responded, they built up a piece of their own invention, acting and respnding as they went. The theme of this particular event was At the Seaside, and the audience (or really participants) were taken on a journey of music and movement with periods of excitement and activity and moments of dark, starlight and relaxation. Finally, everyone moved upstairs to the theatre to sit for a number of pieces in a more formal concert setting. The whole design of the sessions was exceptionally effective and I'm just rather sad we can't get in to these more often as they are to be highly recommended. They book out quickly so do look ahead if you want to get to one of these.

Photograph from the RAH website

4. We have only recently discovered the Royal Albert Hall's superb children's musical programming. This summer we were lucky enough to get to two children's Proms and over half term we spent two days at the venue experiencing a diverse range of music. I have covered one of the Proms here and the other major events will be covered in a dedicated post, but thanks to a musical friend we found that there are regular smaller events too. Our first was the recent, and utterly brilliant, Jazz for Kids - and introduction to New Orleans Jazz with resident Albert's Band- which can only be described as an amazing party. The children were taught about the rhythms that give Jazz its distinctive sound, heard the history of a movement rooted in the opportunity presented by the wholesale abandonment of military instruments, met a sousaphone (a curly tuba for marching) and had the opportunity to dance and sing with abandon to the music. We parents enjoyed ourselves just as much. The children emerged utterly delighted and exhausted...





5. We wrote about Cadogan Hall's great selection of childrens events before, and their Christmas concerts (such as Peter and the Wolf and the Snowman and Paddington's First Concert - see here) are counted amongst some of our most magical moments. Their regular and well established Crash Bang Wallop! concerts are both an opportunity for creativity and hands on experiences with instruments and great musical entertainment. For an hour before, the children are invited to take part in arts and crafts, meet the musicians, handle a selection of instruments, and try their hands at percussion. The session we attended was an interactive hour of music along the theme of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, led by a combat-trouser-clad Puck and a Sinfonia decked with flowers and foliage.

Featuring distinctive pieces such as Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dukas’ Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Waltz and Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, and woven through with the broad theme of spells which just don't seem to go right, the event was a triumph for, at that stage, just three year old Culturebaby. Initially she watched in awe as Puck introduced the sounds of each section of the orchestra and captured them in containers - later to be released, swirled around and mixed together at will. She hid when mispaced spells culminated in the attachment of various instruments to the heads of unsuspecting orchestra members (I suspect genuinely fearing she may end up with a permanent flute for hair), and she adored the slapstick moment when Puck slept and a wolf arrived on stage to investigate the instruments. We were treated to a great selection of music (many featuring animal sounds), joined in with actions, and laughed at the fairy mischief. Several members of the audience also became percussionists by tapping a large frog instrument. At the time, as Culturebaby ducked to avoid the spells and bounced in delight at other pieces, I wasn't sure how this experience would affect her, but as the days passed and she talked and talked about it - scanning my camera for pictures of the event and listening to our story book of the Sorcerer's Apprentice - I can see that the concert (one of her first) affected her rather profoundly.

6. Finally it is really worth mentioning the St Albans Symphony Orchestra's annual Little Monsters' concert, which two years ago was a simply wonderful introduction for both the Culturebabies to their first full orchestra. Conducted by The Gruffalo and performed by a host of monsters, princesses, bugs and even a stormtrooper, an audience of children in fancy dress perched right at the feet of the musicians, a hair's breadth away from the strings. Peppered with poems and featuring both popular classics and music from movies such as Jurassic Park and Raiders of the Lost Ark, the children were taken on a magical journey through a selection of thoroughly spellbinding pieces of music. Unable to control my tearducts as I watched the youngest of children captivated as the orchestra reached emotive crescendos I felt completely elated. The atmosphere was thoroughly unpretentious, welcoming and joyful. Babies toddled around, children danced. A miniature spiderman, the winner of the costume competition, was invited to conduct the orchestra as they performed The Flintstones.

Perhaps best of all, and with a great trust and generosity, at the interval every child was invited to meet the members of the orchestra, handle any and as many instruments they wished, and have a turn at playing them. The musicians were so good with the children, gently showing them how to create sounds from their instrument of choice. I've rarely been to such an uplifting event and it was a real bargain at £1 per child and £5 per adult.

The appealing and uniting thing about all of these concerts is that they showcase excellent composition, introduce improvisation- so important to the development of creativity- and through their intelligent choices of music they show a fundamental respect for the child. Children can enjoy and concentrate on complex or classical melodies or rhythms. They can be introduced to the glorious nature of a live concert in an inspiring venue. I love what Miaomiao says about the inspiration behind her idea: "My idea is to provide top quality classical music to entertain adults, while giving children the chance to hear and explore live instruments up close during the crucial early years. Children have an innate ability to understand complexity almost through osmosis. It is my firm belief that the music our children listen to doesn't have to be dumbed down". I absolutely agree.

Disclaimer: We received tickets to one Bach to Baby and one Classical Babies Concert (we have attended very many since), and the tickets for Cadogan Hall, Wigmore Hall and The Royal Albert Hall events were given in exchange for an honest review. All others we bought ourselves and to many we return again and again! Thanks to Wigmore Hall for their photographs. Just a note to say I don't presume to give an exhaustive list here. We have heard concerts at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Southbank Centre and Barbican are also fabulous. We just haven't made it to some of these yet...

Never Poles Apart: Popper, Penguins and the Persistence of Friendship...

The last few months were rather more Penguin themed than one might normally expect for a British summer, with Culture Uncle travelling half a world away to the Falkland Islands where, other than a whale skeleton and swathes of sand and snow, the majority of his pictures included a plethora of penguins in a variety of picturesque poses. Apparently they are also rather smelly, a fact that in no way seems to have deterred Mr Popper and his long suffering wife in a delightful new musical we were invited to sample at London's Cadogan Hall.

Mr Popper is singleminded in his Polar obsessions. He reads everything he can get his hands on, delights in learning facts and corresponding with current pioneers of arctic exploration. Then one day his cosy home in an English backwater is turned upside down by the arrival of a new pet, a gift from one of his explorer contacts; a genuine penguin. He christens his new lodger Captain Cook, and proceeds to introduce his (semi) lead trained pet to the neighbourhood.

Picture Courtesy of Cadogan Hall

This heartwarming story has a number of emotional twists and turns as his penguin gets sick - it transpires out of loneliness for his own kind... A mate and eight other miniature penguins follow and the Poppers find themselves letting the outside in to keep their brood as happy and at home as they can. Ultimately, the penguins must be occupied and find fame as a talented and spectacular attraction, before, as is always the case, the call of the wild finally beckons them home. But what will Mr Popper do without his friends? 

The danger of a show aimed at younger children is that it either becomes pantomimesque (I'm afraid I'm not a fan) or overly simplistic. Happily Mr Popper's Penguins lapsed into neither of these. The story was engaging and fast moving yet intelligent (with real facts about the arctic), the songs were both fun and had good parts and harmonies, the penguins were brought to life by clever puppetry. There were sadder moments in the story when I could see the audience was visibly moved. It was sweet, heartwarming and the children really enjoyed it (as did we). 

Culturebaby continued to sing the theme days after and talked about the show, so when I set up their seasonal Christmas play tray we included a family of penguins to play in the snow. These scenes are so simple to create and effective for imaginative play. I include a small Christmas tree for them to dress with miniature decorations; wooden and felt snowflakes, stars, reindeer, bells, and other items to collect, count and sort; themed clips for fine motor practice and various characters and models to bring to life.

 

We've also been re-acquainting ourselves with some of the loveliest Penguin themed literature in our collection. It appears that the titans of children's writing and illustration have also decided that the penguin shall be typecast as loyal and unusual companion and we have been reading a trio of heartstring-tugging tales of belonging and friendship.

First - Polly Dunbar's Penguin, a simple yet profound tale about the importance of patience and effort in the labours of love. Ben receives a present of an unusual pet penguin and his efforts to engage and entertain seem to go entirely unrewarded; Penguin remains silent... that is until Ben lands in trouble and his companion finds a voice. Every effort was worthwhile, and none of it was forgotten. For parents, this adorable tale also speaks to the patience of waiting for a toddler to find their true voice, and the unparalleled joy of that first "I love you Mummy".

Next, the classic Lost and Found from Oliver Jeffers. This time a boy finds a Penguin at his door, who looks sad and begins to follow him around. Unsure what else to do, the boy decides that the best solution is to return the little chap to his native South Pole. Together they voyage across land and sea; the boy tells stories and the penguin listens. Finally as they reach their destination and the boy deposits his charge, both realise that the true goal was the journey and their bond. Companionship was the solution all along and they return home united.

Finally, one of our favourite author and illustrators, Petr Horacek, has produced a new and stunningly beautiful book Blue Penguin about the sadness, challenge and joy of finding a place to belong and the journey towards being both accepted and comfortable in ones own skin. Penguin feels like a penguin and acts like a penguin but he is blue. " "...you're not like us" said the other penguins and they wandered away." Poor blue penguin was lonely and sad and he dreamt at night that a beautiful white whale would come and rescue him. He sang and sang, and slowly another penguin heard and came closer and closer. She begged blue penguin to teach her this beautiful song, which was so magical that it captivated the other penguins too. Finally when the whale arrived to answer the call, Penguin finally realised that he was valued and accepted and no longer needed to be rescued. He was loved for who he was. Petr's Penguins are so extremely cute and his signature use of colour is luminescent and beautifully bold. Culturebaby wanted this book again and again. It is definitely my favourite of his (many fabulous) works to date and carries a crucial message for our little people about tolerance and the value of authenticity.

Mr Popper's Penguins is currently on tour (at the Lowry in Salford until January and then on to Kingston) - dates can be found here.

Disclaimer: We were invited along to Cadogan Hall to review the new musical Mr Popper's Penguins. We were also given a copy of Peter Horacek's Blue Penguin by the fabulous Walker Books for review purposes. This new book was published in November. All other materials are our own.

While Visions of Sugar Plums Danced in their Heads

Nutcracker 2015 Image Courtesy of ENB

If it were possible to pinpoint the single most influential and enduring cultural moment in Culturebaby's life to date, without doubt I'd look to our trip to see the English National Ballet's gloriously Edwardian and throroughly spellbinding production of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker last January. I've waited until now to write it up, partly because I was fascinated to chart how far Culturebaby's devotion extended and partly because, with advent on the horizon, now is the time for us to be booking for our little sugar plums.

This production is the perfect first introduction to ballet for a child. Short, fast moving, easily intelligible and gloriously visual, the Nutcracker is thoroughly gripping throughout. The music is distinctive and memorable; the costumes the stuff of childhood dreams. The whole experience is the epitome of Christmas enchantment. If, like mine, your child is in love with their ballet slippers, I can't think of a better Christmas present. When the plastic paraphenalia of each short-lived fad is long gone, I have no doubt that this is an experience that will remain tightly woven into the fabric of her childhood memories; more valuable than toys, and with the potential to be renewed annually. Unique in many ways, the Nutcracker of course provides an additional inspiration with its host of talented children and their personification of a goal less distant for little ones than the beating of a white swan's wings...

Nutcracker  Image Courtesy of ENB

Nutcracker Image Courtesy of ENB

The Nutcracker was the first ballet I saw as a child and I still remember it, but it wasn't by the ENB and I wasn't three. I was initially hesitant, unsure whether this was too soon.  Would she sit still? Would she be able to concentrate? Would it be too frightening? I needn't have worried. By no means an unusual toddler, and as prone to fidgetting as any, she sat utterly entranced throughout the entire production, and not only that; she lived it daily for the following six months. Every day she requested to listen to the full ballet as she played, and on many an occasion she watched the Kirov's production on DVD and copied the steps. She created again and again the land of sweets with materials as diverse as playdoh, confectionaries and crayon. She saw the theme everywhere from the art of Hunderwasser to the decoration of a cupcake. Our old wooden nutcracker and a stuffed toy mouse were constant companions. We looked for every possible version of the story available.

Nutcracker  Image Courtesy of ENB

I have no doubt that the combination of a wonderful, Christmassy tale, with some of the most ingenious music ever composed have fuelled her adoration, but seeing such a brilliantly visual and exquisitely designed and imagined re-telling by the ENB have allowed her to relive the experience again and again.

Nutcracker Image Courtesy of ENB

Nutcracker Image Courtesy of ENB

Nutcracker Image Courtesy of ENB

Given the extent of Culturebaby's fascination, I thought we'd share some great follow on activities and reads along the theme of the Nutcracker that are all very simple to do at home.

1. Make your own land of sweets

There are so many ways to bring alive every child's wildest dreams - to reside in that most scrumptious of worlds. The Culturegrandparents know this aspiration/headache well. My ten year old birthday cake request was indeed for a replica of my favourite illustration from a childhood copy of the classic. Re-living history they purchased a range of appropriate items and began with a liquorice allsorts-man and his car...

We also had a number of great sessions with a batch of playdoh, creating cake-like structures and brightly coloured characters.

 2. Find inspiration in art - It seemed that everywhere we looked there were potential scenes from the land of sweets ready to explore. Some of Culturebaby's earliest figurative drawings featured our eponymous hero and his nemesis. She also took rather a liking to drawing fields and fields of lollypops.

In particular she adored a project we did to replicate one of the colourful artist Hunderwasser's iconic images. I will write this up in more detail soon, but this project was extremely simple. Using collages of circles of varying sizes and a range of colours and textures we made a series of very effective artworks. Immediately Culturebaby related these to the land of sweets of her own continued imagination.

 3. Imaginative and dress-up play - Such a perennial and essential element of childhood. Happily Culturegrandma located an old wooden nutcracker, and Ikea provided a rat. Slightly bewildering a choice for a mass produced stuffed toy aside, we were entirely delighted to adopt our own mouse king. Culturebaby still sleeps with him in close proximity.

4. Dancing the ballet - The Culturebabies love their ballet classes, and Culturebaby is lucky enough to be able to attend an English National Ballet Juniors class weekly, but soooo much dancing can be done at home. Juggling scarves are a great and versatile prop, as are ribbons and wands. The soundtrack of the Nutcracker is so distinctive that it is easy for even the youngest child to follow the story as the ballet plays in the background. The girls also love studying the Kirov's production on DVD and attempting to replicate steps. If nothing else, it is exceptionally cute to observe.

5. Create a Christmas-themed sensory basket

These baskets or trays are a really big hit in our household and I create different ones each season. Last year's Christmas basket featured a small Christmas tree with miniature decorations; wooden and felt snowflakes, stars, reindeer, bells, and other items to collect, match and sort;  themed clips for fine motor skill practice and characters to bring alive as they play tiny musical instruments, receive presents and help to decorate. We also had a series of DIY themed shape and colour sorting toys.

 6. Reading together - There are some fabulous versions of the Nutcracker out there specifically for young children. As a child I had a stunningly illustrated copy, most probably now out of print (which Culturebaby still adores) and I want to get my hands on Maurice Sendak's picture book, but these aside, I have five excellent recommendations that are perfect for pre-schoolers.

Firstly, a trio from Usborne. As readers know, I'm a huge fan of this publisher. Their series of young reading books which introduce classic stories from nursery rhymes to Greek myths feature in Culturebaby's bedtime selections every day. Cleverly, they have produced a staged approach to their best-loved tales for developing readers who still want to read the same classic story, but in more depth as they grow. Using the same illustrator, they have built on their gorgeous short picture book adaptation by Emma Helborough and illustrated by Anna Luraschi, which is also available as a fantastic sound book version with clips from some of the best known pieces, to produce a more complex and in depth version for older children and early readers. At present, the two girls can both enjoy the simpler version together, and Culturebaby is very taken with the 'big girl' version. Usborne has also produced a beautiful volume of Ballet Stories for Bedtime. Containing fewer (but still plenty of) illustrations and reasonably in depth text, this compendium covers not only the Nutcracker but also six other classic ballets, including some lesser-known stories to discover.

As we are devotees of the ingenious books of James Mayhew (author of the Katie series of art books) we were delighted to discover that one of the five Ella Bella books featured The Nutcracker. Ella Bella is a little ballerina who is lucky enough to regularly experience the enchantment of her ballet teacher's magical musical box. When she discovers herself alone with this box of delights, she is transported into the story and each time she helps to save the day for the characters. Aiding Clara and her prince as they seek to escape from the clutches of the mouse king, Ella Bella is transported through snow to the land of sweets and the ultimate Christmas party.

Finally, this year we have been sent a new, beautifully engineered pop-up edition of the Nutcracker story from Walker Books, illustrated by Niroot Puttapipat. For children of all ages, and indeed any adult, this simply told version of the classic story is gorgeously illustrated with characters in silhouette set against stunning skies and with splashes of coloured decoration. There is a final, exquisitely crafted, pop-up scene of the land of sweets. These theatrical images throughout the edition were inspired by the sets from the original 1892 production performed in St Petersburg. The descriptions are also simply beautiful. In this land snowflakes taste of rosebuds and raspberries, peppermint and honey; oceans are flecked with gold and "lollipops grew in the flowerbeds, lemonade flowed from the fountains, and a sherbet path twisted off into marshmallow mountains." The descriptions are sumptuous, lyrical and spellbinding. I know that Culturebaby will fall in love with it when she opens it in her literary advent calendar.

 

Disclaimer: We were sent a copy of the new Nutcracker from Walker Books for review purposes, and we were given two seats to the brilliant 2014 production of the Nutcracker. All other materials are our own.