The Bear, the Piano, the Dog, and the Fiddle written and illustrated by David Litchfield

It wasn't so very long ago, in a book called The Bear and the Piano, that the bear who found a piano in the woods learned to play and became a worldwide sensation. And wasn't it wonderful that his bear friends from the woods missed him and kept track of what he was doing, then welcomed bear home for a visit, reminding him that they were the most important audience of all because they were his friends.

Now, somewhere on Bourbon Street in the brightly lit city of New Orleans, Hector plays his fiddle and Hugo the dog is his biggest fan. They have  spent a lot of years traveling and fiddling, but now Hector feels his act is old news and he packs away his fiddle. But Hugo isn't ready to give it all up. Unbeknownst to Hector, Hugo unpacks the fiddle and learns to play - and his music was toe-tappingly, finger-clickingly, whistle-blowingly AWESOME!

Meanwhile, Bear has decided to put together a band of musical animals and invites Hugo to join them. But even though he supports his friend Hugo, Hector feels mighty jealous. He really doesn't want Hugo to leave, and in his sadness and jealousy, he says some bad things to Hugo, things he is sorry about but  it's is too late to take back. 

Bear's Big Band is a hit everywhere they go. Hector listens to them on the radio, and misses playing his fiddle and making music, and really misses Hugo. When Bear's Big Band has a concert in New Orleans, Hector wants to go, but is afraid Hugo won't want him there. But he decides to buy a ticket anyway. And the music that Bear's Big Band plays is indeed mind-blowingly, toe-tapplingly, finger-clickingly AWESOME! But when Hector feels himself being led out of the concert hall by two security bears, he fears Hugo is still mad at him.

But no, Hugo has a big surprise for Hector, reminding him that they had some good times, some bad times, and some times apart, but that they would always be friends, "[b]ecause good friendship, just like good music, lasts a lifetime."

The Bear, the Piano, the Dog, and the Fiddle is every bit as charming and heartwarming as the first book. Litchfield deals again with the theme of friendship, but adds in themes of sadness, jealousy and forgiveness and all in language and pictures that are totally accessible to young readers. And though all the emotions dealt with are human, the fact that the characters are a mix of human and animal doesn't feel at all awkward and Litchfield cleverly doesn't put words into the mouths of bear or Hugo. I think doing that would have broken the mood he was trying to create and taken this story to a very different place.

Litchfield's mixed-media illustrations are colorful and energetic, just as the music of New Orleans is.

Pair this with The Bear and the Piano for a story time that will certainly please your readers, young and old.

This book is recommended for readers age 4+
This book was provided to me by the publisher, Clarion Books