Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Crute (Oliver: The Second-Largest Living Thing on Earth) lightheartedly relays the story of the man responsible for Britain's ubiquitous umbrella use. English gentleman Jonas Hanway "disliked change as a general rule," but even more than change, Jonas hated getting wet. After "searching for a place where it never rained" and spying "something strange"--umbrella use among Persian royalty during his mid-18th-century travels--he begins using one back in England, much to the consternation of carriage drivers. Cadenced prose engages, with dashes of alliteration and a few onomatopoeic rhymes, as it jauntily narrates Hanway's break with custom (umbrellas were thought to be for women, the poor, and the French, an author's note clarifies) in favor of common sense. Playful ink and watercolor cartoons by Ewen (Nature's Friend: The Gwen Frostic Story) offer bird's-eye views of Victorian London under rainy skies and wide-angle scenes of row houses, their yellow-lit windows framing a variety of indoor activities; an orange tabby makes repeated appearances. An author's note about Hanway's other work to effect change and a brief timeline of umbrella history wrap up this entertaining look at Britain's biggest "brolly" backer. Ages 5--8. (May)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4--Jonas Hanway, an English philanthropist, disliked getting wet. But in rainy 1750 London, there was scarcely a way to walk a short distance and remain dry without paying for a horse-drawn coach. For untold reasons, Hanway traveled to Persia (or present-day Iran) and saw people holding umbrellas in the sun. Though the text notes that people had been using umbrellas for centuries, even in France, Londonites had never adopted the tool until Hanway introduced it to his fellow countrymen. Despite the efforts to thwart Hanway and his umbrella, the gadget caught on and the English use them to this day. Back matter includes brief overviews of other topics Hanway disliked, some of which stuck around (English tea) and others that were thankfully disbanded (children chimney sweeps) either in spite of or with some thanks to Hanway speaking out against them. A brief history of umbrellas throughout the world and in popular culture, as well as a bibliography, round out this title. VERDICT A serviceable addition to collections looking for fact-based picture books or light information titles about specific places or topics.--Brittany Drehobl, Morton Grove Public Library, IL
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Rebellion sometimes comes in surprising packages…. Umbrellas are considered perfectly acceptable and commonplace today, but in the 1750s in England--where "On some days, it drizzled. On others, it muzzled. On others, it pelted and showered and spat"--they were considered foolish and ridiculous. "It's not what we do," the people of London said, until a man named Jonas Hanway was inspired to keep dry by taking a stand and pulling out his own umbrella, much to the consternation of those around him. Lively and colorful watercolors combine with bouncing onomatopoeia and other wordplay to show the cranky Hanway, a man who disliked change yet hated rain so much he traveled around the world in search of a place where it didn't exist. When he sees umbrellas in action in Persia, he falls in love. His use of the seemingly frivolous object eventually causes its adoption into genteel English society. This deceptively simple historical selection lightly touches on originality, innovation, xenophobia, and cultural sharing and change while explaining how perception and reality can conflict. In the 18th-century scenes, characters are depicted as white in England and with brown skin in Persia, but a scene of modern London is appropriately diverse (and rainy). Endnotes include a brief history of the umbrella. Both a bubbly historical account of umbrellas and a lighthearted tale of embracing change. (Informational picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
