Mae is a little girl, and Bear is a bear, but they are both afraid of trains and traveling to places they do not know, so they put on courage hats; Mae's has bear ears, and Bear's has people ears, and when they meet on the train going through bear country to the city, they take courage in each other's company and soon become friends--and when they arrive they exchange hats, which is a lot like exchanging hearts.

"The quiet heroism of one mouse on an arduous journey to bring another mouse the smallest of gifts serves as a reminder that it's not our size but what we're doing in this world that makes us small or big"--

Two solitary children living in two different apartment buildings have nothing in common except compassion for an old man and his dog.