Stuchner (A Peanut Butter Waltz) spins a satisfying small-town story whose endearing, old-fashioned quality is captured equally effectively by Canadian artist Row's lifelike watercolor paintings. Even more than their renowned noodle pudding (or "kugel"), the residents of Canada's Kugel Valley take pride in their klezmer band, a traveling trio that plays at dances, weddings and bar mitzvahs around the countryside. Since Shira, the 10-year-old daughter of the group's clarinet player, longs to play the fiddle, her idol is Isaac, another member of the band and "the finest fiddle player this side of Nova Scotia." The kind man gives her a homemade toy fiddle, along with some time-honored advice: "Practice, practice, practice." And that she does, playing her fiddle faithfully in the privacy of the forest, imitating the music she has heard Isaac play for years. The denouement hardly comes as a surprise—when Isaac comes down with a cold, Shira fills in for him at a Hanukkah party and wows the revelers. Mellifluous storytelling and nostalgic yet accessible, animated artwork bring just the right measure of warmth and sentiment to give this tale relevance for today's readers. Ages 3-9. (Mar.)
