The umbrella

The Schuberts' (Ophelia) wordless fantasy unfolds like a long-forgotten childhood favorite. A dapper black terrier out with a cat friend on a gusty autumn evening finds a red umbrella. He puts it up, is instantly borne aloft in a shower of golden and scarlet leaves, and, in the next spread, he's above the clouds and off around the world. He fends off a crowd of hungry alligators with his umbrella (a kindly elephant launches him back into the air), descends into the depths of the ocean, flies over a rain forest (where he's attacked by a tribe wielding spears, bows, and arrows), dallies in the Arctic, then lands right back where he started-same wind, same leaves, same cat-as if the whole trip has taken no more than a couple of minutes. The Schuberts' exoticism of foreign lands (especially those spear-throwing tribesmen) may strike some readers as dated, though it doesn't dampen the book's sense of adventure. Nevertheless, it's a marvelous treat for the senses; masterful drafting and splendid color make every spread worth lingering over. Ages 2-up. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

PreS-Gr 2-A small black dog with a red umbrella guides this wordless trip through all the Earth's climates. He starts out at home, where he's taken aloft by an autumn wind. His first stop is above the clouds, with familiar shapes visible in the fluffy whiteness. Then he's off to Africa where giraffes, hippos, zebras, and other creatures lounge near a great waterfall. The elephants save the dog from a group of crocodiles and send him on his way. The ocean and all of its colorful inhabitants are the next stop. After a visit, he's launched again by a whale spout, off to the land of the big turtles and the rainforest. A huge bird escorts him out for the next adventure. This time it's to the land of snow and ice where seals and polar bears greet him. After this visit, he swirls around in the sky for a while, along with the crescent moon and swooping bats. This wind takes him back to his home and lands him on the ground. The final endpapers show a cat getting ready to pick up that red umbrella. While adults will be able to name specific locales and animals, young readers will just see the beauty of the various habitats and share the dog's excitement. The illustrations easily tell the story; there's no need for words. The paintings excel at showing the different landscapes and depicting movement. What a great journey!-Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.