Protecting the young daughter of an illegal immigrant who has escaped police custody in the aftermath of a brutal murder, Danish Red Cross nurse Nina Borg struggles with a belief in the woman's innocence as she learns more about her violent past.

Though the emperor banishes the nightingale in preference of a jeweled mechanical imitation, the little bird remains faithful and returns years later when the emperor is near death and no one else can help him.

Glenn Close reads the story of the emperor who is given a gift of a mechanical singing bird, only later to learn that the genuine song of the real nightingale is truly the best of all.

"En los jardines del palacio del emperador de China vivía un ruiseñor. Su canto era tan bello y tan impresionante, que llegaban viajeros de todos los países del mundo para escucharlo. Cuando el emperador descubrió que un ave tan extraordinaria vivía en su jardín, la invitó al palacio y le pidió que se quedara a vivir con él. Pero el ruiseñor pronto empezó a echar de menos el bosque..."--Back cover

Though the emperor banishes the nightingale in preference of a jeweled mechanical imitation, the little bird remains faithful and returns years later when the emperor is near death and no one else can help him.

When he is old and ill, an emperor realizes at last the value of a living nightingale over a mechanical one.

Strega Nona: Big Anthony is knee-deep in trouble - and pasta - when he uses Strega Nona's pasta pot without her permission. Tikki Tikki Tembo: This folktale explains why Chinese people no longer choose long names for their children. Joey runs away: Joey looks for another home when he doesn't feel like cleaning up his messy room. Why mosquitos buzz in people's ears: A chain of mishaps is set off - from Mosquito to Iguana to Python to Rabbit to Owl...