The Nightingale

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax, Ontario.

A book and audiocassette (narrated by Michael Burgess) make up this
version of the old fairy tale about the powerful, glittering emperor of
China and the drab little nightingale. The bird is held captive and
compelled to sing by the emperor until a colorful, bejewelled mechanical
nightingale distracts the emperor. In the commotion, the real bird
escapes from its cage and is banished for its ungratefulness. When the
emperor falls ill and Death appears in his room, he calls for music to
drive out the apparition, but there is no one to wind up the mechanical
bird. At the last moment the true nightingale reappears and its song
brings the emperor back to good health.

A familiar parable with a well-known moral, this rendition is
distinguished by its emphasis on the role of the little serving girl,
who initially induces the nightingale to sing for the emperor, then sets
it free, and, finally, implores it to return to save the dying emperor.
The servant’s calm, restrained actions are contrasted effectively with
the monarch’s bombast and flamboyance.

Careful consideration has produced eye-catching and thought-provoking
illustrations. An addendum explains why certain colors and images were
used. Highly recommended.