Kyra Teis

Imagining Stories

The Magic Flute, An Opera by Mozart

Adapted by Kyra Teis

Book Reviews

Midwest Book Review

The Magic Flute is a children's picture book adaptation of the classic opera by Mozart. In this timeless fairy-tale, Prince Tamino must save Princess Pamina from her evil mother, the Queen of the Night; fortunately, he has a magic flute and the aid of his trusted friend Papageno.

Deftly retold and brought to vibrant life with colorful illustrations, The Magic Flute is a wonderful children's introduction to the majesty of opera and especially recommended for children's public library collections.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3­. This adaptation of Mozart¹s famous opera is pitched toward a younger audience than Anne Gatti’s version (Chronicle, 1997), illustrated with Peter Malone’s stylized paintings. An introductory spread presents “the cast,” a helpful tool given the similarities among some of the names.

The story of the handsome prince who encounters the forbidding Queen of the Night and endures three tests of his mettle before winning the hand of the lovely Pamina is told in simple prose, peppered with dialogue and occasional sound effects. Children raised on Disney will be attracted to the bright palette and the abundance of purple and pink, although Teis’ painted papers and collages offer much more texture and design interest than those animated antecedents.

The artist’s ethnically diverse characters enrich the telling as well: each of the three servants to the Queen is portrayed with a different skin tone and hair quality, and the wise Sarastro sports flowing, ivory dreadlocks. Gatti’s longer, more detailed presentation includes musical excerpts on an accompanying CD. The delightful “Mozart’s Magic Fantasy” CD in the “Classical Kids” series (Children’s Group, 1995) employs a contemporary character to help young listeners appreciate the composer’s tale and glorious music. All three items have something unique to offer. Teis concludes with a brief note about Mozart, her childhood experience with his music, and extension ideas.­

-- Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library