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The Big Umbrella Hardcover – Picture Book, 6 February 2018
by
Amy June Bates
(Author, Illustrator),
Juniper Bates
(Author)
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“A subtle, deceptively simple book about inclusion, hospitality, and welcoming the ‘other.’” —Kirkus Reviews
“A boundlessly inclusive spirit...This open-ended picture book creates a natural springboard for discussion.” —Booklist
“This sweet extended metaphor uses an umbrella to demonstrate how kindness and inclusion work...A lovely addition to any library collection, for classroom use or for sharing at home.” —School Library Journal
In the tradition of Alison McGhee’s Someday, beloved illustrator Amy June Bates makes her authorial debut alongside her eleven-year-old daughter with this timely and timeless picture book about acceptance.
By the door there is an umbrella. It is big. It is so big that when it starts to rain there is room for everyone underneath. It doesn’t matter if you are tall. Or plaid. Or hairy. It doesn’t matter how many legs you have.
Don’t worry that there won’t be enough room under the umbrella. Because there will always be room.
Lush illustrations and simple, lyrical text subtly address themes of inclusion and tolerance in this sweet story that accomplished illustrator Amy June Bates cowrote with her daughter, Juniper, while walking to school together in the rain.
“A boundlessly inclusive spirit...This open-ended picture book creates a natural springboard for discussion.” —Booklist
“This sweet extended metaphor uses an umbrella to demonstrate how kindness and inclusion work...A lovely addition to any library collection, for classroom use or for sharing at home.” —School Library Journal
In the tradition of Alison McGhee’s Someday, beloved illustrator Amy June Bates makes her authorial debut alongside her eleven-year-old daughter with this timely and timeless picture book about acceptance.
By the door there is an umbrella. It is big. It is so big that when it starts to rain there is room for everyone underneath. It doesn’t matter if you are tall. Or plaid. Or hairy. It doesn’t matter how many legs you have.
Don’t worry that there won’t be enough room under the umbrella. Because there will always be room.
Lush illustrations and simple, lyrical text subtly address themes of inclusion and tolerance in this sweet story that accomplished illustrator Amy June Bates cowrote with her daughter, Juniper, while walking to school together in the rain.
- Reading age4 - 8 years
- Print length40 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade levelpreschool - 3
- Lexile measureAD370L
- Publication date6 February 2018
- ISBN-101534406581
- ISBN-13978-1534406582
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Product description
Review
Illustrator Bates applies her signature watercolor, gouache, and pencil style to a quiet story about a smiling umbrella, a tale sparked by a conversation with her seventh-grade daughter, co-author Juniper Bates.The eponymous rain protection is a big, red, friendly, helpful umbrella that sits near the front door and "likes to spread its arms wide" when it rains. As the pages turn, the umbrella grows in size, its smile ever widening, "to give shelter." It gathers all in—tall, hairy, plaid. "It doesn't matter how many legs you have," the omniscient narrator assures, as a basset hound droops forlornly outside its shelter before being welcomed in. While the book does not bill itself as political, it is hard to read it without thinking of current events—and of the umbrella as a metaphor for the United States. "Some people worry that there won't be enough room under the big umbrella," the narrator warns. "But the amazing thing is…there is." The final spread of this gentle picture book is an illustration of diverse people in a park: a black jogger; a white man in a wheelchair with a small dog on a leash; a brown woman wearing a hijab with a butterfly in her palms; two men and three children (in child seats), all of different skin colors, riding a tandem bike. A subtle, deceptively simple book about inclusion, hospitality, and welcoming the "other."(Picture book. 3-6) -- Kirkus ― 11/1/17
Wearing a yellow slicker and boots on a rainy day, a child carries an open red umbrella down a city street. On each page, a sentence lightly personifies the umbrella: “It likes to spread its arms wide. / It loves to give shelter. / It loves to gather people in.” More and more folks join the child under its rapidly expanding canopy, until, in the last illustration, the umbrella arches over a park filled with animals and culturally diverse, differently abled people, all enjoying themselves and their surroundings. The appealing watercolor, gouache, and pencil illustrations work beautifully with the text to tell the story. In contrast to the gray skies, the red umbrella stands out visually, creating a warm, cheerful space for those beneath it. The main attraction of this expansive picture book is neither the plot nor the concept, but the upwelling of a boundlessly inclusive spirit reminiscent of Leodhas and Hogrogian’s Caldecott-winning Always Room for One More (1965). Well designed for classroom read-aloud sessions, this open-ended picture book creates a natural springboard for discussion. -- Booklist ― Nov 1, 2017
This sweet extended metaphor uses an umbrella to demonstrate how kindness and inclusion work. The big umbrella waits by the door with a smile. “It is a big, friendly umbrella. It likes to help.” It’s a rainy day and help is welcome, so the umbrella, once opened, provides shelter to all comers. First to its owner, and then to a ballerina, a dog, a skater, a monster…there is no limit to how many can fit under its widespread arms. “Some people worry that there won’t be enough room under the big umbrella. But the amazing thing is…there is.” Bates’s signature sketchy watercolors begin the story on the endpapers with a downpour and heavy, wet clouds. The muted colors of the rainy cityscape give contrast to the smiling red umbrella and the folks it is protecting. Each page is lighter than the one before until the sun is out, and a final spread opens to show just how much room there is. Bates and her young daughter thought up the idea for this story during a rain storm. The message is direct but not didactic, useful in discussion about classroom and family behaviors, community-building and kindness in general, not to mention helpful for discussion about the current political climate. VERDICT A lovely addition to any library collection, for classroom use or for sharing at home.
-- School Library Journal ― December 1, 2017
Wearing a yellow slicker and boots on a rainy day, a child carries an open red umbrella down a city street. On each page, a sentence lightly personifies the umbrella: “It likes to spread its arms wide. / It loves to give shelter. / It loves to gather people in.” More and more folks join the child under its rapidly expanding canopy, until, in the last illustration, the umbrella arches over a park filled with animals and culturally diverse, differently abled people, all enjoying themselves and their surroundings. The appealing watercolor, gouache, and pencil illustrations work beautifully with the text to tell the story. In contrast to the gray skies, the red umbrella stands out visually, creating a warm, cheerful space for those beneath it. The main attraction of this expansive picture book is neither the plot nor the concept, but the upwelling of a boundlessly inclusive spirit reminiscent of Leodhas and Hogrogian’s Caldecott-winning Always Room for One More (1965). Well designed for classroom read-aloud sessions, this open-ended picture book creates a natural springboard for discussion. -- Booklist ― Nov 1, 2017
This sweet extended metaphor uses an umbrella to demonstrate how kindness and inclusion work. The big umbrella waits by the door with a smile. “It is a big, friendly umbrella. It likes to help.” It’s a rainy day and help is welcome, so the umbrella, once opened, provides shelter to all comers. First to its owner, and then to a ballerina, a dog, a skater, a monster…there is no limit to how many can fit under its widespread arms. “Some people worry that there won’t be enough room under the big umbrella. But the amazing thing is…there is.” Bates’s signature sketchy watercolors begin the story on the endpapers with a downpour and heavy, wet clouds. The muted colors of the rainy cityscape give contrast to the smiling red umbrella and the folks it is protecting. Each page is lighter than the one before until the sun is out, and a final spread opens to show just how much room there is. Bates and her young daughter thought up the idea for this story during a rain storm. The message is direct but not didactic, useful in discussion about classroom and family behaviors, community-building and kindness in general, not to mention helpful for discussion about the current political climate. VERDICT A lovely addition to any library collection, for classroom use or for sharing at home.
-- School Library Journal ― December 1, 2017
About the Author
Amy June Bates has illustrated books including the Sam the Man series; Sweet Dreams and That’s What I’d Do, both by singer-songwriter Jewel; and Waiting for the Magic by Patricia MacLachlan. She is the author-illustrator of The Big Umbrella, which Booklist raved, “A boundlessly inclusive spirit...This open-ended picture book creates a natural springboard for discussion.” She lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, with her husband and three children.
Juniper Bates was in sixth grade when she and her mom, Amy June Bates, came up with the idea for The Big Umbrella while sharing an umbrella in a rainstorm. Juniper loves music, skiing, books, and puddles she can jump in. Juniper lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, with their family and dog, Rosebud.
Juniper Bates was in sixth grade when she and her mom, Amy June Bates, came up with the idea for The Big Umbrella while sharing an umbrella in a rainstorm. Juniper loves music, skiing, books, and puddles she can jump in. Juniper lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, with their family and dog, Rosebud.
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Product details
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 40 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1534406581
- ISBN-13 : 978-1534406582
- Reading age : 4 - 8 years
- Best Sellers Rank: 26,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer reviews:
Customer reviews
4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
755 global ratings
How are ratings calculated?
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we do not use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Top reviews from other countries

ellen b
5.0 out of 5 stars
I loved this book! Beautiful illustrations!
Reviewed in Canada on 4 April 2022Verified Purchase
Simple story of welcoming everyone! I used for Sunday school but could use for any group of children
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Suresh
5.0 out of 5 stars
Same like kind people heart this umbrella.
Reviewed in Canada on 21 June 2019Verified Purchase
I really love this books .

Jane
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great rainy day book!
Reviewed in Japan on 20 December 2018Verified Purchase
Lovely story with beautiful illustrations. We have read it again and again, still finding new things to see and talk about.

A
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great message, but you may want to pass
Reviewed in the United States on 8 August 2018Verified Purchase
The message of the book is great and the pictures are lovely. I love that kindness, inclusion, and diversity are addressed, but it’s a very short read. I guess for such a large book (in dimension), I expected a book that would take longer than 30 seconds to read. This book may be good for babies or little ones with short attention spans, but I don’t imagine this would interest a toddler. I think you will just need to make the decision if this very short story would be good for you/ your family. I really wanted to love this book, but it’s just okay for me. Again, I love the message but I can’t say I would recommend it. If you want a book on kindness, I would look to “Be Kind” by Pat Zietlow Miller since that book also discusses kindness and the characters are diverse.
43 people found this helpful
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Bookworm
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful book about kindness, generosity, and inclusivity
Reviewed in the United States on 7 February 2018Verified Purchase
I almost never buy a book before borrowing it from the library since I'm so choosy when it comes to children's literature, but I bought this book because my child loves umbrellas, and the cover art was so inviting, that I couldn't resist. What a great chance I took! This book is beautifully illustrated and totally sets the rainy mood. The umbrella is a sweet character that loves to help and be kind to others. Can it get any better than that for a children's book? I doubt it! The umbrella inlcudes all creatures big and small in its protection from the rain. Such a sweet and uplifting storyline! The Big Umbrella is a welcome addition to my family's library of books that are socially concious, peace promoting, and inclusive of all. Absolutely recommend!
Check out more of my children's picture book reviews on my instagram: greatreadsforlittles
Check out more of my children's picture book reviews on my instagram: greatreadsforlittles
28 people found this helpful
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