Customer Reviews

Nightingale, The

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The emperor of China Has every thing, and his palace are so beatiful. But one day he hears of a little Nightingale that sings so beatiful. And he really want to have it... Read what happens with him in this book. You can't help it being touched of this sweet storie, I can say that I was it... Like I have said before I will say again, H C Andersen can really write good childrens books!

This is a great story, but what makes this edition exceptional are the beautiful illustrations. The more you look at them, the more magical they seem. You will keep coming back.

It is odd to see Michael Bedard listed as the author for "The Nightingale," because as we all know this charming fable comes from Hans Christian Andersen. In fact, Christian Andersen's name appears nowhere in this version that I can find, and if it is there it is in the very fine print.

But even though Bedard may have arranged the text, this is still the same charming story of love, loss and appreciation that I have known since I was a child. Thanks to a kitchen girl, the Emperor of China discovers the beautiful song of a nightingale in his garden. But disappointed with its bland, grey appearance, he replaces it with a mechanical bird resplendent in jewels and gold, beautiful both outside and in. But the mechanical bird is just a toy, and cannot vary its perpetual clockwork tune. And the end the Emperor comes to appreciate the simplicity and innate beauty of nature and the nightingale.

There are so many versions of this story available - for free even, seeing as how Christian Andersen's works are public domain - so it is really the illustrations that are going to be the reason to chose this particular edition. And for that, illustrator Regolo Ricci is a fantastic choice. His paintings are delicate and beautiful, realistic enough to be engaging and impressionistic enough not to be bland. I was impressed with the detail Ricci went into portraying China. Even though "The Nightingale" is not actually a Chinese myth - Christian Andersen wrote the story in Copenhagen, Denmark, and knew nothing more about China than his decorative dinner plates - Ricci has invigorated the illustrations with symbolism and meaning authentic to China. There is a section of notes in the back explaining why the kitchen girl wears red, why the bats in the evening sky are a good omen for the Emperor, and the importance of certain flowers placed in pictures and their meaning.