Books like The Bear and the Piano
By David Litchfield
For the kid who's ever felt torn between chasing something new and staying close to the people who love them, this one lands somewhere honest. Quiet, wistful, and warm, with a bittersweet pull toward home.
An aging donkey, dog, cat, and rooster, each cast off by masters who no longer want them, set out together for Bremen-Town to become street musicians and find a robbers' cabin standing in their way.
An imaginary friend waits and waits to be chosen by a child, and when no one picks him, he does the unimaginable — he leaves his island to find his perfect match himself.
A boardinghouse girl in nineteenth-century Paris spots a quiet stranger walking on air across the courtyard and begs him to teach her — not knowing he's a once-famous wire-walker now gripped by fear.
A young hero condemned by a jealous king must earn the trust of the legendary winged horse Pegasus, then ride him into battle against the fire-breathing Chimera.
A chameleon changes color wherever he goes and longs to keep one color of his own, so he settles on the greenest leaf — until autumn turns it yellow, then red, right along with him.
Two little pigs come home from a walk to find their den and hut crushed flat by a big friend Bear and an even larger Moose — so all four set out to build one house big enough for everyone.
A tiny snail longing to see the world hitches a ride on a humpback whale's tail, and together they sail to icebergs and volcanoes — until the whale gets stranded and needs the smallest friend to save her.
A little boy who loves the tangerine dress in his classroom's dress-up center is taunted by classmates who say dresses are for girls and astronauts don't wear them — until he builds his own spaceship and invites them aboard.
A lonely little girl finds a star that has fallen out of the sky and becomes its friend, but when the star grows sick, she must decide whether to let it go home.
A little rabbit named Llewellyn collects ordinary treasures in jars until his friend Evelyn joins him, gathering wonders like rainbows and ocean sounds — then she must move away.
A boy flies a single-propeller plane he finds in his closet all the way to outer space, but running out of fuel forces a risky landing on the dark, monster-rumored moon — where he meets a stranded young Martian just as lost and alone.
An older man who insists dancing isn't his thing gets talked into an evening at the Crystal Ballroom by his enthusiastic neighbor, bringing along his cat and her dog for the surprise-filled outing.
