Monday, February 29, 2016

Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield -OPTIONAL

Litchfield, David Bear and the Piano Clarion (Houghton Mifflin), 2015. $16.99 PICTURE BOOK
A bear finds a piano in the middle of the woods, eventually learning to play it. All the bears love listening and he is quite popular. When humans discover his talents he embarks on a world tour and is wildly successful. But he misses home, he worries his friends will have forgotten him or be mad that he left. He hurries home to the forest and discovers his piano isn’t there! What is going on?
First off these illustrations make my heart sing they are so stellar. The story is wholesome and sweet, easily added to a library any library collection. However, the lesson here, about fame and friendship is a bit odd to me for young readers, so few will encounter that. Even breaking it down smaller into support your friends when their hobbies/sports take up time, is also asking a bit much of younger readers, and I don’t think they will make that leap after reading this story on their own.
EL (K-3) –OPTIONAL  Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.

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