Review by Booklist Review
There's a poignancy to this story that will escape preschoolers, but slightly older children will be intrigued by this brown bear, who arrives in the city amid a snowstorm, his trumpet in hand. The city is so big and confusing, loud and fast, that Addis forgets why he has come there at all. Slowly, he begins to acclimate himself, finding shelter with a homeless woman. He sees much, both good and bad. Still, the reason for his visit eludes him. Then Addis is robbed of his trumpet. In his despair, his homeless friend leads him to a poster announcing that he, the Greatest Trumpet-Playing Bear, is to head a concert that very night. Thanks to his friend, a trumpet is acquired, the concert begins, and Addis plays a two-page spread of music that incorporates all that he has seen. The delicate artwork fascinates, sometimes exacerbating, sometimes ameliorating the bleakest parts of the story. But there's happiness here as well in the vignettes and full-page art, as Bear plays to a laughing crowd.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
