Madame Nightingale Will Sing Tonight

I think it's pitching a bit high to describe this book as 'a great introduction to the wonderful world of opera' as the publishers do on the back. One might as well describe Jack and the Beanstalk as an introduction to the wonderful world of horticulture or Bambi as an introduction to the wonderful world of the Forestry Commission. The word 'opera' is mentioned in the story, certainly, but it's actually about a nightingale who gets stage fright and how her friends cure her of it. James Mayhew's attractive woodland illustrations make this is a pleasant addition to a young child's library, and the instructions for making a toy theatre at the back of this good quality book are a real bonus.