Jerry Pinkney's 'The Nightingale' is a beautifully illustrated retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale about an emperor who learns to appreciate true beauty. In ancient China, the emperor lives in a magnificent palace but has never heard the most beautiful sound in his kingdom—the song of a nightingale. When he finally hears the plain-looking bird's magical song, he is captivated, but soon replaces it with a jeweled mechanical bird. The story explores what happens when the emperor falls ill and discovers which bird's song holds real power and healing.