Umbrellas

The Umbrella Queen

by Shirin Tim Bridges and illustrated by Taeeun Yoo

In Noot’s village, high in hills of Thailand, the women and girls make all kinds of umbrellas. They make big and small, paper and silk, red, blue, yellow, pink, and green umbrellas. On New Year’s Day, a woman who has painted the most beautiful umbrella is named Umbrella Queen. Noot wishes that she had an umbrella that is hers. Noot knows how her father creates the umbrella frame and how her grandmother makes the paper that covers the umbrella, but Noot wants to paint the umbrellas like her mother does. Noot’s mother lets her paint the same thing on the umbrella that she is painting. Noot is able to paint everything that her mother paints, and her mother wants to show Noot’s father. They are all proud of Noot’s umbrella and think she will make a great umbrella painter. The next day Noot is given five umbrellas, a set of paints and brushes, and a finished umbrella to copy. Noot’s father helps her get set up to paint. Noot paints the butterflies, but she decides to paint something else, instead of the flowers and vines that her mother has painted. What does Noot paint? Is her mother happy with what she paints on the umbrellas? What does Noot make with the left over scraps from the making of the umbrellas? The king will be close to the village for the New Year’s holiday, and the village invites him to celebrate and choose the Umbrella Queen. Who will he choose to be the Umbrella Queen?

Ella’s Umbrellas

by Jennifer Lloyd and illustrated by Ashley Spires

Ella has all kinds of umbrellas. She has big and small umbrellas, pink, turquoise, and tangerine umbrellas, and even a jellybean green umbrella. Unfortunately, Ella has too many umbrellas. Her family and friends always give her umbrellas, because they know that Ella loves them. Ella’s favorite umbrella is an umbrella from her Aunt Stella, and it is robin’s egg blue. Stella is coming to visit, and she is going to stay in Ella’s room. Ella’s mother is worried that there is no room for Stella with all of Ella’s umbrellas. Ella tries to fix the problem, but her mother thinks that she should give some of her umbrella’s to people that do not have any. Ella puts them in a pile in the yard with a sign that says “Free Umbrellas.” Will Ella be able to give away some of her umbrellas? Will her Aunt Stella have a special surprise for Ella when she arrives?

Roger’s Umbrella

by Daniel Manus Pinkwater and illustrated by James Marshall

Roger’s mother always tells him to take his umbrella with him on days that it looks like it might rain. Roger does not like to take his umbrella, because his umbrella will not behave. The umbrella turns inside out, lifts him up into the air, and tries to fly away at night by flapping its wings like a bird or bat. Roger has to hold onto it until he can close it in his closet. Roger tells his mother that he has a wild umbrella and wants a new one, but his mother tells him that umbrellas are all the same. Roger’s umbrella makes him late for school one day, and one night, it almost flies out the window. Sometimes, the umbrella picks him up and sets him down in places where he does not know where he is. Then he has to ask a policeman how to get home. Then one day, the umbrella carries Roger way up high and sets him down inside a high brick wall. There, Roger meets three old ladies that can help him learn to control his umbrella. What will the ladies tell Roger to do with his umbrella? Will Roger ever be able to control his umbrella? Will he be able to get back home?

Ella, Of Course

by Sarah Weeks and illustrated by Doug Cushman

Ella is good at solving problems. She is able to save Aunt Mozelle’s favorite set of earrings when one falls down the drain by putting chewing gum on the heel of a high-heeled shoe and getting the earring stuck to the bubblegum. Ella uses a spaghetti strainer and a curtain rod to get her little brother’s pet frog out of the neighbor’s pool and save their party. On Ella’s fourth birthday, her grandmother sends her an umbrella as a present. The umbrella is sky blue with puffy clouds, and she loves the sound it makes when it opens up. Unfortunately, things tend to get broken or messed up when Ella opens her umbrella. She even messes up her birthday cake. Ella loves her new umbrella and takes it everywhere, but she also causes many problems wherever she takes her umbrella. What kinds of things happen whenever Ella opens her umbrella? Ella’s dance teacher tells Ella that she is not allowed to bring her umbrella to the dance recital. Ella is nervous, but she thinks that she would not be afraid if she took her umbrella. What does Ella do with her umbrella at the recital? Does everyone enjoy what Ella does with her umbrella?