Mr. Tanner

Harry Chapin, Bryan Langdo, illustrator Ripple Grove Press Hardcover $17.99 (40pp), 978-0-9913866-8-0

Originally released in 1973 as a music track from singer-songwriter Harry Chapin’s Short Stories album, Mr. Tanner tells the tale of a midwestern dry cleaner with a passion for singing. Adding artwork to lyrics, Bryan Langdo’s cuddly rendition of Mr. Tanner as a baritone bear gives the bittersweet story-song a fanciful twist when he travels to a New York City concert hall but doesn’t get quite the reception he was hoping for, in this soulful journey of self-discovery.