A special holiday treat is a phone call away! Dancers from the National Ballet of Canada are here to tell you the magical story of the Nutcracker. Ask a grown-up to call Dial-a-Story to listen to the classic tale, retold in English, French, Italian, Polish, Mandarin and Spanish.

The dancers did a wonderful expressive job telling the story. They used their whole bodies while they were recording in the sound booth. Their arms and legs still moved as if they were dancing while sitting! Afterward, they all said that they really enjoyed the experience.

Haven't tried Dial-a-Story before? It's a phone number you can call and listen to recorded stories in 16 different languages. It is very popular with families across the city. We received 120,170 calls from January to November 2020! When libraries were closed because of the pandemic, some branches posted the Dial-a-Story phone number on their doors so that kids could call and listen to stories at home. Here's the number if you would like to write it down for your family: 416-395-5400.

The Land of Sweets awaits you. Call Dial-a-Story this holiday season to visit the Sugar Plum Fairy!