The Bear, the Piano, the Dog, and the Fiddle, written by David Litchfield, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Student Reviewer: Evan S.
Summary: An emotional story that shares the musical journey of best friends, Hector and Hugo. Hector was a human fiddle player and Hugo was his loyal dog and biggest fan. Hector felt that he was getting too old and was not drawing the crowds anymore. He never made it into the big time and felt that it was time to give up. Instead of playing his fiddle, Hector slept and watched TV a lot. One night, Hector woke up to find Hugo making beautiful music on their city rooftop. Hugo was really good! Hector was going to make Hugo successful. The crowds Hugo drew were huge and he even caught the eye of the world famous piano playing bear. Hugo was invited to tour with Bear and his band. Unfortunately, Hector became a big jealous of his best friends success and they parted on bad terms. Hugo toured the world with his new band, playing to sold out crowds. Hector missed Hugo and his fiddle. When the band was slated to play in their hometown, Hector bought a ticket. He would go support his friend, even if he wasn’t welcome there. What Hector didn’t realize, was that Hugo was waiting for him. Hector was brought on stage as the guest of honor and his dream came true. Not only was he playing in front of a sold out crowd, but he got his best friend back. “Because good friendship, just like good music, lasts a lifetime.”

Straight Talk for Librarians: The illustrations in this book are soft and incredibly detailed. The emotions portrayed by the characters in the book complements the story in a touching way. This book is for music loving children and might possible inspire learning a new instrument. Readers will learn how value friendships and be happy with who you have in your life. It’s a heartwarming story that might teach readers to accept different types of successes in life. Readers may be inspired by the kindness shown in this book. It may also teach children how to deal with jealous feelings. Overall, it’s just a lovely story and would make a good addition to a school library.