THE BEAR AND THE PIANO

THE BEAR AND THE PIANO by David Litchfield

Do you have a child that is musically inclined or community inclined? The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield is a beautiful meshing together of both themes.

A bear stumbles upon a piano in the middle of the woods. Initially when he touches the keys the sound is terrible, but day after day, he comes back. Over time, he teaches himself to play. He plays for his community, his bear friends. Then an opportunity comes along to go to the city to perform. He takes it and becomes a great success, but after a while he finds he misses home.

This wonderful picture book opens the door to great conversations about the love of music, using our gifts, and not forgetting where we've come from. The Bear and His Piano takes it one step further - using our gifts to bless our communities. This book hits home for us. We live in a small, rural area. Recently there has been a concentrated effort to let our young adults know how much we need them to keep our community alive and thriving.

Litchfield is also the illustrator. The pictures are full of earth tones which gives the book a nature feel until the bear goes to the city. Lots of heavy, dark colors then fill the pages giving the feeling of weight on the bear. Then there is a change. Notice when the light really shines on the bear. It is when he is back, performing in the woods. A light airyness returns to the pictures. You can almost feel the sigh of relief from the bear to be back in his own environment.

ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES - Take a few minutes to listen to some piano classical music. Some great ones are Moonlight Sonata, Canon in D, Fur Elise, Clair de Lune, Minute Waltz, and Flight of the Bumblebee. Talk about the work in truly learning to play an instrument. It takes years of dedicated practice, but it's an ability that you can use for the rest of your life! If you already play, share your talent in a nursing home, church, or other community gathering.