Review by Booklist Review
One rainy day, Elephant is cheerfully walking around town with his trusty green umbrella when he is stopped by Hedgehog, Cat, and Bear, all claiming ownership of the umbrella. Each is equally convinced the item is theirs, and each uses it differently: for Hedgehog, it's a boat; for Cat, a tent; and for Bear, a flying machine. Elephant respectfully disagrees with each in turn, but he invites them to take shelter under the umbrella with him. When the rain stops, the animals aggressively vie for the umbrella until they are stopped by elderly Rabbit, who claims the umbrella is his cane. Elephant offers to shade him with the umbrella, the others join, a picnic ensues, and all become fast friends. Delightful full-page illustrations alternate between the rainy-day scenes and the reminiscences of the characters, creating a pleasant array of ambiences. The text provides just the right amount of tension and repetition to propel the story forward at a nice pace. Reminiscent of Joan L. Nodset's classic Who Took the Farmer's Hat? (1963)--Enos, Randall Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Imagination can turn even simple objects into marvelous things, Elephant discovers as he strolls through a city holding a green umbrella. "I believe you have my boat," a hedgehog tells him. "I crossed deep oceans on my boat and faced the crash of icy waves." A cat, bear, and rabbit accost Elephant in turn, each with a dramatic umbrella story. Always courteous, Elephant replies patiently that he's used the umbrella for play himself ("I was a pirate and the umbrella was my sword"). He invites the others to join him underneath it, where they picnic, trade stories, and, in a memorable final spread, soar into the rosy dusk of the sky aboard the umbrella-imagining is better together. Debut author Kramer's imagination-fueled encounter makes good use of fellow newcomer Sassouni's gift for conjuring up fairy-tale landscapes: old houses hunched up against each other, impossibly lumpy hills, and silly contraptions ("I flew through windy skies in my flying machine," says the bear). And Kramer's storytelling passages sustain their lofty tone with no off notes-no easy task. Ages 4-8. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-A cast of animals interrupt pink Elephant's walk in the rain with his green umbrella. First Hedgehog insists that Elephant has his boat, in which he has sailed the seas. Hedgehog's boat looks suspiciously like Elephant's green umbrella turned upside down. Elephant assures Hedgehog that his umbrella is not a boat, and invites him to share it and stay dry from the rain. Next comes Cat, who is sure that the green umbrella is his tent, and on to Bear and Rabbit, who both mistake Elephant's green umbrella for their own. Each time, Elephant corrects the misconception and graciously offers his umbrella to keep the newcomer dry. Eventually, the rain stops, and the sun comes out. Elephant and his new friends decide to have a picnic. They use the green umbrella to shade themselves from the sun as they discuss their adventures. Whimsical and cartoonlike animals, depicted with a touch of vintage style, will delight readers as the story shows all the imaginative ways an umbrella can be used. The brightly colored acrylic illustrations complement the conversational text, which is suitable to read aloud to an audience. Unexpected textures in the trees and grass add interest and more whimsy. VERDICT The author and illustrator work well together to deliver a charming tale of sharing, friendship, and adventure. An enjoyable rainy day read-aloud.-Mindy Hiatt, Salt Lake County Library Services © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
An elephant with an umbrella is confronted by a hedgehog: "You have my boat"; a lyrical spread shows the hedgehog in an inverted umbrella floating on the ocean. After the elephant shelters the hedgehog, they meet several more animals each claiming the umbrella ("You have my tent," etc.). It's an old-fashioned friendship tale with charming art and a ripe message about sharing the wealth. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A pink elephant emotionally attached to an umbrella finds the same object has many uses for a series of animals he encounters one rainy day. It begins when a hedgehog tells the elephant, "Excuse me, I believe you have my boat." The hedgehog's story, about an eventful journey at sea in the umbrella is lovely, but the elephant tells the hedgehog, "I'm sure you're mistaken." The scene repeats with a cat who believes the umbrella is a tent for camping, a bear that insists it's a flying machine, and others. Politely but firmly, the elephant insists that the umbrella belongs to him, even sharing his own unorthodox uses of the tool, but he is polite enough to invite the animals to stay out of the rain and under the umbrella. The story ends, of course, in friendship and a picnic as well as the understanding that imagination can infuse the most mundane things with deep meaning. Illustrated in spreads that alternate the rainy-day narrative in vignettes with full-bleed spreads that allow the flight-of-fancy retellings to render a deeper mood, the animals' stories are delightfully descriptive: there's "the salty spray of whales" and "Northern Lights [that] glimmer above rolling hills." While the elephant stands firm in holding onto that umbrella, each of the animals is allowed a brief moment in the spotlight to tell a whimsical tale. The lesson about sharing and generosity is elegantly wrapped around lovely language. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
