Beware of Exploding (Numbers of) Nutcrackers

It sort of feels like someone took a starting pistol and called out to the universe, “Nutcracker picture books! On your mark . . . get set . . . . GO!” And off they went!

2016, for whatever reason, has turned out to be a VERY Nutcracker heavy year. If you are unaware or only vaguely familiar with what The Nutcracker is, I will sum up. In 1816 Prussian Romantic author E.T.A. Hoffman wrote an odd little children’s story called The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. It was this wild bit of imagining...