The Magic Flute

by Peter Malone (Illustrator), Anne Gatti (Adapter)

Enter a magical world of monster serpents, mysterious ladies, and flying machines where giant flowers and butterflies the size of birds abound. It is here, amidst a lush wood and within a dark labyrinthine castle that an unforgettable cast of characters gathers and a magical story of good versus evil unfolds. Readers will thrill as Prince Tamino strives to save Princess Pamina from the wicked Queen of the Night and the Chancellor Monostatos. Accompanied by Papageno, the birdcatcher, and a magic flute to ward off evil, Tamino and Pamina must overcome thundering waterfalls and walls of fire to save their kingdom from darkness and live happily ever after. Illustrated with the glorious paintings of Peter Malone, this enchanting retelling of Mozart's famous opera paired with an audio CD is sure to delight lovers of fairytales and music alike.

Genres: Music, Picture Books, Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing like trying to summarize a plot to highlight how little sense it makes...
At least it all ends happily unless you're a woman.

Nice pictures, and comes with a cd (that my niece declined to listen to). Probably good if you're trying to introduce your kids to opera, or mystery cults.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to understand the story of The Magic Flute and thought that the best approach was to start with a children's book. A CD of the music was included with the book and each page of narrative indicated the corresponding track to listen to. However, the music didn't always seem to reflect the narrative. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience and I gained an understanding of the opera.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my limited perspective as a white person on some of the issues of this book and this opera ... I'm trying to find a non-racist version of this opera to share with my son, who loves this music.

At least in this book, the one black person is the wise ruler Sarastro (instead of the one black person being the evil servant Monostatos as it is in the original opera). In the original version, though, Pamina is his daughter. Not so here. Missed opportunity to have a beautiful heroine of color.

Still.. this book is better than most Magic Flute productions out there. Sigh. I'd love to get my hands on the inclusive Glimmerglass production of this opera!!

[Mari McR · Rating 4 out of 5]

The CD that accompanies this book is beautifully sung. I am so astonished that a performance of this quality is inserted in the back page of this summary of Mozart's opera. It is extremely helpful that each page is matched to a specific selection on the CD. It is a wonderfully easy way to encourage young children to listen (and follow) their first opera.

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just received this book for my birthday, and of course read it immediately. I enjoy storybook retellings of famous plays and and operas - they're certainly more fun than trudging through synopses that sometimes sound like they were written by someone who's never even seen or heard the work. Do these retellings always follow the storylines exactly? Of course not, and this one is no exception. However, its value lies in giving young folks a 'snapshot' of a Great Work, an introduction to the plot and characters - in short, a perfect foundation for viewing (and hearing) Die Zauberflote when they are older. This retelling would make a perfect companion to Classical Kids' Mozart's Magic Fantasy: A Journey Through The Magic Flute. And Malone's illustrations are absolutely stunning!

[Daniel Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good magic story. We have watched the opera version, an animated version, and read this book. My favorite was the animated cartoon. The drawings in the book were great! Papageno, the birdman is funny. I pretend I'm Pamina. She is beautiful and exciting. The Queen of the Night is mean. The book helped me understand the movie because the book wasn't Swedish and the movie was.
- Juniper

[Sarah]

I am pretty sure this book was of the things that launched my love of romance.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for an introduction to the opera. The pictures hold the interest of readers. Wish there were more from this team.

[Anchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great summary of the story for kids, grabbed their attention. Beautiful illustrations.

[Alkene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a magical and fun story. I didn't have the music to go along with it, but the story was so entertaining on it's own. (though I highly recommend seeing the play or listening to the music!) I read it to my kids (3 and 2) and they both loved it. It was one of the first stories with a longer plot that I've read them and we did little check ins to remember the characters and what they were doing.

The names were fun and silly for them, so easier to remember. I think this is a great introduction to theater for young children... it's exciting, adventurous and magical... it's got love and humor and triumph over evil..even a plot twist! This book has beautiful illustrations too. Great read:)

[Chicco Padovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

La storia, così come narrata da Anne Gatti è un po’ confusa, le illustrazioni, quelle sì sono splendide. Direi che Peter Melone va ad aggiungersi a quella ristretta cerchia di illustratori (Craft, LaMarche, Pahceco, Innocenti) che del loro lavoro fanno un’Arte e una gioia per gli appassionati di libri illustrati.

[Lynnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great way to learn about the story of The Magic Flute and listen to some of the music from the Opera. The pictures are minimalistic and there are lots of words, but it would make a great read aloud book.

[Mari McR · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have wanted to read about this opera for a while and finally got to it to prepare for to view a performance this month at a local venue. Mozart's music is sublime, but methinks that the composer viewed the story line as secondary, non?

[Johannes Kristian · Rating 3 out of 5]

MCL.