A bear orphaned and raised by a stranger learns to speak in the whistle of a steam locomotive. That whistle becomes the only language that matters between two things that should never fit together. Warmth doesn't come from spectacle here, it comes from a kid watching something gentle enough to stay with them forever, where a bear's cry and a train's call become the same sound.

Yamatarou is a bear who has lost his parents and is being raised by a man. His friend is Shi-roku, a steam locomotive, and Yamatarou learns to imitate the sound of the engine's whistle. This one-episode OVA from 1986 is the fourth entry in the Lion Books Series. It is a gentle tale made for nursery school children, centered on the friendship between the bear and the locomotive, and its well-crafted artwork gives the story a warm feel.