Child singer scrutinised for being very good at singing

There's something about extraordinarily talented children that captures our collective psyche. When 10-year-old Jackie Evancho sang recently on America's Got Talent, judges were gob-smacked at the Pensylvannian pipsqueak's precociously mature operatic voice. Their gushing reviews overwhelmed the poor girl, who said she felt like she was going to burst into tears- then did- reminding us that while her voice may be beyond her years, the rest of her is very much still a child. Internet reviewers of her performance on Youtube were quick to criticise, saying the girl must have been lip-synching. Jealous, much? The controversy served to stretch out Evancho's 15 minutes of fame while news channels consulted opera experts for their opinion on her performance. The verdict: the girl really was singing. Did people honestly think producers of AGT would risk their credibility to help the girl fake her act? While some people clearly resent talented child singers, for the most part, a strong voice from a tiny body is a formula for instant popularity, and the recipe for a Youtube sensation. Jackie Evancho's performance has had close to a million views. Canadian teen superstar Justin Bieber could tell her how lucrative that popularity can be. When it comes to mini Youtube stars, I have my own favourites - see my top five below (a mixture of super talented and just plain adorable):