An unlikely friendship and some musical stylings feature in Cary Fagan and Dena Seiferling’s new picture book Bear Wants to Sing.

After the wonder created in their first team effort, King Mouse, readers rejoin Mouse and Bear in the forest. This time Bear finds a small guitar and wants to sing. Mouse is an eager audience member but other animals keep arriving in the forest, finding other discarded instruments and singing their songs, not letting Bear have a chance. When Bear finally gets the opportunity to share his song it is not as well received as he had hoped so he leaves. Thankfully a great friend will always be a great comfort.

This book is magical. The world created by Dena Seiferling is full of wonder and amazement. Along with Cary Fagan’s delightful story, there is a ton for young readers to enjoy. I loved the storyline of interruptions and not waiting for turns. It’s something all children are learning and it’s a hard when they are all so eager to share their discoveries with teachers, family and friends. When Bear continues to be interrupted, Mouse stands up for their friend reminding the other animals that it is Bear’s turn.

I also LOVED Bear’s song! It’s definitely a song I would come up with when faced with a new instrument. The other animals created these grand rhyming songs, while beautiful, certainly not something your average reader would be able to pull out of their pockets at a moment’s notice. Bear’s song is so much more reflective of what readers would produce and it’s cause for a chuckle. The support Mouse gives to Bear is inspiring and something many readers can appreciate seeing reflected in the books they read.

As mentioned, Dena Seiferling’s illustrations wrap the reader in wonder. They are not flashy or colourful, but muted and simple. The pages are full of a special kind of story book magic. She evokes the same type of feelings in young readers at The Fan Brothers.