The Big Umbrella

"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.

Author: Amy June Bates, Juniper Bates
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Published: 02/06/2018
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.20h x 10.20w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9781534406582
Audience: Ages 4-8

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 1.4
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 194938 / Big Umbrella


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 11/01/2017
Booklist 11/01/2017 pg. 61
School Library Journal 12/01/2017
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2019 - Recommended, Satisfactory

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.