The Horn Book Guide

YOUNGER FICTION

Maugham, W. Somerset

Princess September and the Nightingale

48 pp. | Oxford | November, 1998 | Trade ISBN 0-19-512480-4 $$16.95
1939

(4) 1-3 Iona and Peter Opie Library of Children's Literature series. Illustrated by Richard C. Jones. In this fable about freedom, reissued with a new introduction and afterword, a Siamese princess cages a nightingale but later releases it, and the bird promises to always return to sing for her. Small, stylized illustrations underscore the exotic locale. While often humorous and charming, this sophisticated tale may not appeal to contemporary kids.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2039