When he learns that the nightingale’s song is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world, the Emperor of China sends his courtiers to find the bird and present it as a guest at court. The nightingale can speak to humans and agrees to come, but when the Emperor receives a mechanical nightingale covered in jewels, he discards the real bird, which flies back to its home. Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved story in which a king learns humility from a bird was written in 1843 to honor Jenny Lind, the famous opera singer dubbed the Swedish Nightingale. This new edition of the childhood favorite features shimmering color illustrations by Russian artist Igor Oleynikov.
Emperor
A Grain of Rice
When a humble farmer named Pong Lo asks for the hand of the Emperor’s beautiful daughter, the Emperor is enraged. Whoever heard of a peasant marrying a princess? But Pong Lo is wiser than the Emperor knows. And when he concocts a potion that saves the Princess’s life, the Emperor gladly offers him any reward he chooses except the Princess. Pong Lo makes a surprising request. He asks for a single grain of rice, doubled every day for one hundred days. The baffled Emperor obliges only to discover that if you’re as clever as Pong Lo, you can turn a single grain of rice into all the wealth and happiness in the world!
The Chinese Emperor’s New Clothes
A young emperor, whose advisors have taken advantage of him, enlists the help of honest tailors to reveal their misdeeds in this retelling of the classic fairy tale. Includes historical notes and instructions for making a robe.
The Empty Pot
When Ping admits that he is the only child in China unable to grow a flower from the seeds distributed by the Emperor, he is rewarded for his honesty.
The Greatest Power
Long ago, a Chinese emperor challenges the children of his kingdom to show him the greatest power in the world, and all are surprised at what is discovered.
The Heavenly Horse
An emperor of China, who has forgotten how to smile, is told an unusual tale about a heavenly horse and learns what is really precious in his life.
The Cricket’s Cage: A Chinese Folk Tale
Retells a Chinese folktale in which a clever and kindly cricket is responsible for designing the tower buildings for Beijing’s “Forbidden City.”
Han’s Christian Andersen’s The Nightingale
The hero of this story is a little bird with a very sweet song-so sweet it brings tears to the eyes of the Chinese Emperor and charms Death right back into the graveyard.
Dom Deluise’s The Nightingale
In this retelling of the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, a marvelous bird helps King Lucky realize that beauty is directly linked to freedom and it includes recipes for Bird in a Cage of Bread and Court Jester Cookies.
The Nightingale
The hero of this story is a little bird with a very sweet song-so sweet it brings tears to the eyes of the Chinese Emperor and charms Death right back into the graveyard.