Amy June Bates is the author-illustrator of The Big
Umbrella and The Welcome Home. She is also the
illustrator of the New York Times bestseller The Leadership
Journey by Doris Kearns Goodwin; Sweet
Dreams and That’s What I’d Do, both by
singer-songwriter Jewel; Waiting for the Magic by
Patricia MacLachlan; Joey: The Story of Joe Biden by Dr.
Jill Biden; and many others. She has three children and lives in
Carlisle, Pennsylvania, with her husband and her devilishly
handsome Labrador, Mr. Mochi.
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.
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)
*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.
*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.
*December 1, 2017*
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