• Age: 6 to 8
• Grade: 1 to 3

How Shira loves the fiddle! Every time the Kugel Valley Klezmer Band performs, ten-year-old Shira watches closely. Isaac, the best fiddle player this side of Nova Scotia, sees her watching, and gives her a toy fiddle. “Practice,” says Isaac. “Practice, practice, practice.” So, secretly, Shira practices; and soon she thinks she sounds pretty good. But is she good enough for a real fiddle? Good enough for the Kugel Valley Klezmer Band? Good enough for her whole village? Shira is about to find out!

Joan Betty Stuchner has a head full of stories. Instead of playing the fiddle, she plays with words; on stage and on television, with students in a classroom, in poems and stories—which includes her book A Peanut Butter Waltz. She lives with her husband and son in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Richard Row was not born with the ability to draw; he watched carefully, then practiced, practiced, practiced! He worked as a commerical artist for many years, then moved to books, illustrating versions of Anne of Green Gables and Heidi. He lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with his wife and three children.

Joan Betty Stuchner's profile page

Richard Row's profile page