“The Bear & The Piano provides simple but important lessons about friendship and belonging.”
-Ruth Swindon, The Guardian (selected for The Best New Children’s Books of Summer 2016 )
“A heart-warming and beautifully illustrated tale of music, friendship and adventure.”
-Hannah Beckerman, Huffington Post (selected for The Best Children’s Books of Autumn 2015)
“Litchfield’s multilayered mixed-media illustrations gracefully portray dappled forest groves, the energy of a packed concert hall, and the simultaneous bustle and solitude of city life.”
-Publishers Weekly USA (Starred Review)
“Litchfield’s poignant debut picture book celebrates both the wonders of wandering far in pursuit of one’s dreams and the sweet comfort of returning home.”
-Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
“One of the most distinctive and original picture book debuts of the Autumn, this has the potential for both critical and commercial success.”
-Fiona Noble, The Bookseller Magazine (Selected as Children’s Special in the Picture Book category)
“A story of the joy of music, the hollowness of fame and the importance of friends.”
-Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times (Selected as one of the Best Children’s Books of 2015)
“I like the way the story is written about never giving up and with determination you can achieve anything in life”
“The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield looks and reads like a classic fairy tale.I want to dive into David Litchfield’s gorgeous, light emitting paintings.”
“A book that made me sigh and cry and open it again immediately after closing. It’s a book I photographed so I can swipe through it on my phone when I’m away from my bookshelf.”
“The Bear and the Piano delivers its message in such a stylish and heartfelt way that it’s virtually impossible not to fall hopelessly in love with it.”
-Read It Daddy (Book of The Week)
“David’s completely immersive illustrations will leave you breathless. The Bear & The Piano is written with tenderness and illustrated with love.”
-Booksniffer, WRD Magazine (Selected as Picturebook highlight of 2015)
“This is Litchfield’s first picture book and what a sumptuous treat it is – he weaves magic with light and space, contrasting the freshness of the forest with the hubbub and energy of the cityscape.”
-Sally Morris, The Daily Mail (Selected as The Best Children’s Book’s for Christmas 2015)
“Rich colours and the wonderful use of light to highlight the pictures are simply gorgeous and make this a book to savour.”
-Anne Thompson, The Book Bag (Selected as one of the Top 10 Picture Books of 2015)
“The Bear and the Piano, David’s first picturebook, has so much heart, honesty and style that it deserves to be read by all – old and young alike (preferably together).”
-Matthew Tobin, English & Children’s Literature, Oxford Brookes.
“I truly believe this to be the most beautifully put together picture book I have seen for many years.”
“David Litchfield’s very original and moving story is such a wonderfully conceived microcosm of the changes life brings. !”
“The Bear and the Piano starts and ends on the same perfect note.”
“One of my favourite illustrated books of 2015 so far and it’s David’s debut picture book. Massive achievement!”
“One of the most emotional picture books I’ve read for a while, The Bear and the Piano seems a simple story, but on closer inspection there is a depth and complexity to the book. It speaks of human endeavour and success. It asks what’s important in life, and addresses what it is to belong somewhere.”
“David has reinvented the forest and filled it with excitement. No doubt lots of little feet will be searching their nearest forest for the bear and the piano this autumn.”
“Litchfield’s images are multi-dimensional and textured, they show a huge amount of depth and provide a stunning contrast between the wild and the city.”
“Litchfield’s distinctive style and rich illustrations provide the perfect accompaniment this tale of tenacity, exploration and belonging.”
“This is such a wonderful book and it’s one that Mr D sits very quietly for. He often interrupts me when I’m reading to tell me what he can see and his interpretations of the story, but for this one he sits still and soaks in all the images.”
“It’s a beautiful story, and illustrates perfectly the effect of music on performer and audience. Litchfield’s illustrations are very special indeed.”
“Its classic picture book magic encourages readers’ imaginations to go wild.”
“Here is a new young illustrator with a distinctive style and talent.”
-Books For Keeps (Highlight in the New Talent Feature)
” Graduates, Retirees, job-changers…really just about everybody will like this book.“
“We love the distinctive art style and the charming concept! Within the book, lessons about exploration and belonging are learned.”
-The Reading Room (Selected for the Top 10 Children’s books to get Excited About)
“This is a beautiful story of dreams and friendships.”
“A beautiful picture book.”
“Once in a while a picture book comes along – out of nowhere – and takes your breath away. This story explores the places our dreams take us, and shows us those who wait for our return.”
“From the end papers and the opening spread, the artwork in this picture book is stunning.”
“A moving tale of exploration and belonging from an exciting debut author-illustrator.”
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