Sylvia lives with her family (her Dad, her Mom, and her Uncle Walter) in their big house in the Maine woods. In the Waltzing With Bears books she tells the story of her adventures with Uncle Walter and his musical bear friends.

Titles in the series are:

Book 1: Uncle Walter’s Friends

Book 2 : Journey to the Palace of the Polar Bear King

Book 3 : Return of the Sunset Mountain Witch

Book 4 : Night of the Ring of Fire

Book 5 : Captain Strongbow’s Treasure

Book 6 : The Big Day (That Almost Wasn’t)

Book 7: Emperor of the Maine Forest

Book 8 : Invasion of the Mini-Oaks

Music for Book 1

Waltzing with Bears

Written by Dale Marxen. Performed by Priscilla Herdman.

This Little Light of Mine

Written by Harry Dixon Loes. Performed by Jimmy Rossi and The Jeeemies.

Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog

Written by Hoyt Axton. Performed by The Blue Sea Band, Fred Mollin, Lyle Gudmensen.

If I Knew You Were Coming I’d’ve Baked a Cake

Written by Al Hoffman, Bob Merrill, and Clem Watts. Performed by Eileen Barton.

The Blue Danube Waltz

Written by Johann Strauss. Performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Barenboim.

Music for Book 2

The Vienna Woods Waltz

Written by Johan Strauss. Performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Barenboim.

By The Blazing Council Fire Light

Music written by Richard A. Whiting, Lyrics by Boy Scouts of America.

Performed by the Baum Family Trio.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Music written by Harold Arlen. Lyrics written by Yip Harburg. From the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz. Performed by Judy Garland.

The Finlandia Hymn

Written by Jean Sibelius. Performed by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and Helsinki Sinfonietta conducted by Leif Segerstam.

Happy days are here again

Music written by Milton Ager. Lyrics written by Jack Yellen. Performed by The Army Stars.

Colonel Bogey March

Written by Kenneth J Alfred. Performed by Boston Pops Orchestra with John Williams conducting.

National Emblem march

Written by Edwin Eugene Bagley. Performed by USAF Tactical Air Command Band, conducted by Lt.Col. Lowell E. Graham.

The Teddy Bears Picnic

Written by Jimmy Kennedy. Performed by May Kay and Duke.

The Stars And Stripes Forever

Written by John Philipp Sousa. Performed by The Dallas Winds Orchestra with Jeff Gershman conducting.


Rights to all music are held by their respective copywright holders.

About the Authors

Paul Frank Baum and Clara Rose Shafer are a grandfather-granddaughter team. P.F. Baum is a Professor of Mathematics — Atherton Professor of Mathematics — at Penn State Universty. C.R. Shafer is a student at MECA, Maine College of Art and Design. For the Waltzing with Bears books, Grandpa Paul wrote the text and Granddaughter Clara did the illustrations.