The stories that inspired Antonin Dvorak's enchanting operas Once upon a time, deep in the forests of Bohemia...enchantment was as thick as the trees, and young men and women of all kinds met and fell in love under the spell of the silver moon. Many years later, Czech composer Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) set some of their stories to music. As the stories came to life on stage, they found an audience in the hearts of grownups and children around the world. Here are three of Dvorak's Bohemian tales, richly told and lovingly illustrated. Meet Rusalka, Bohemia's own little mermaid; and Lidushka, the peasant who danced with a king. Then there is Kate, saved from certain doom by her own bad temper! Just as in all the best fairytales, love suffers and is rewarded in these stories, and a good heart and quick thinking are enough to win the day. Antonin Dvorak's own life had a bit of a fairy tale in it, as readers learn in these pages. His musical talent lifted him from the shopkeeper's life he was born to, up to the heights of international stardom. But his art was always deeply rooted in the folktales and songs of his homeland. Silver Moon celebrates that wellspring of creativity in a new and luminous way.