The nightingale sings so sweetly that everyone loves to hear her song. But when the Emperor of China receives a new dazzling mechanical songbird made from gold and rubies, he has eyes for nothing else. What will become of the little nightingale now? The classic Hans Christian Andersen story retold with simple text for children just beginning to read.
This book is part of a book series called Usborne First Reading .
This book was published 2013 by Usborne Publishing Ltd .
Lorna and Graham Philpot have been a successful creative team for some twenty years. Graham's work is respected around the world, not just for his children's book illustrations but also for his cartoons for major national newspapers.
This book contains the following story:
The Nightingale
An emperor prefers the tinkling of a bejeweled mechanical bird to the song of a real nightingale. The Emperor of China learns that one of the most beautiful things in his empire is the song of the nightingale. When he orders the nightingale brought to him, a kitchen maid (the only one who knows of its whereabouts) leads the court to a nearby forest where the bird is found. The nightingale agrees to appear at court. The Emperor is so delighted with the bird's song that he keeps the nightingale in captivity. When the Emperor is given a bejeweled mechanical bird he loses interest in the real nightingale, who returns to the forest. The mechanical bird eventually breaks down due to overuse. The Emperor is taken deathly ill a few years later. The real nightingale learns of the Emperor's condition and returns to the palace. God is so moved by the nightingale's song that he departs and the emperor recovers. The nightingale agrees to sing to the emperor for the rest of his days.
This book is in the following series:
Usborne First Reading
The Usborne Reading Programme is a collection of over 300 reading books, graded in seven levels and covering a wide range of subjects, both fiction and non-fiction. The First Reading programme covers the first 4 levels. Level 1: Designed to be the first real books a beginner will tackle, with very light support from a parent or teacher. They are 32 pages in length, comprising the main story (up to 150 words) and up to six pages of fun, reading-related puzzles.Level 2: these books stretch the reader a little more than Level One, with more advanced storylines. They are 32 pages in length, comprising character pages or maps, the main story (up to 250 words) and reading-related puzzles.Level 3: these titles encourage the reader to develop reading stamina. Stories include a strong element of repetition, with repeated language to help the reader gain confidence.Level 4: these titles continue to build readers' stamina with stories of up to 750 words. The narrative is more devel
