Substance: A prose adaptation of the libretto of Mozart's opera tells the story of Prince Tamino's search for Princess Pamina, his trials to prove worthy of her hand in marriage, and her support for him.
Her mother, the Queen of the NIght, is opposed by the sorcerer, Sorastro, and allies with his former servant Monastro to retrieve the magic seal that will restore her powers.
Tamino is accompanied by Papageno the Birdman, who has parallel adventures and trials to win the hand of Papagena.

This is a fairy tale, which means nothing is really what it seems, and things happen in magical ways.
That also means there is a happy ending.

The story episodes are keyed to the musical selections on the CD.

Style: The adaptation is straight-forward, and actually makes clear the somewhat convoluted plot.
The illustrations are stylized, and evocative of a stage setting.

The book includes a very short introduction to Mozart's life and works, and alisting of the musical highlights on the CD. ( )

It's the music, of course. Who cares about the story of The Magic Flute?
Well, children do, it turns out. After my daughter's had seen Bergman's Magic Flute, they wanted to keep looking at this book to help them figure out the story.
The narration is as clear as any retelling of Schikaneder's libretto can well be. The illustrations are beautiful and suitably theatrical. Just as in Bergman's film, the images are of singers in costume on a stage. ( )