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rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
One takeaway: Toxic masculinity meant that men of that time would rather get drenched than be seen using an umbrella because it was considered feminine.
swtmarie's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting factual picture book tracing the time when an umbrella was introduced in London. Even though umbrellas had already been long invented, they weren't common in London where the umbrella was looked at as something a "poor person" would own, who couldn't afford a carriage. But meet Jonas Hanway, a sensible "gentleman", who visits Persia and upon his visit, comes across this wonderful device that someone is holding above their head. He is amazed at the wonder (and also very sick of getting wet from all the rain in London!) so he brings it back and starts a trend..but actually he doesn't. Instead of applauding this wonderful contraption, people scoff and look down at him because 1. he's a man carrying an umbrella and 2. he's a gentleman who can afford to use a carriage. It takes over 30 years for people to gather their wits about them and fix the solution of traveling in rainy London without getting overly sopped. What surprised me were how mean the coach drivers were and one apparently tried to run poor Jonas over because of his "threatening" umbrella ..threatening because he may cost them a job when people stop using the coaches to get to and fro. I enjoyed the timeline in the back and the other various tidbits in the back of the book.
amyjreads's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
5.0
Adorable! Great text and illustrations. Accessible for a wide range of ages.
abigailbat's review against another edition
This is a really fun nonfiction book about how umbrellas finally came into fashion (and stopped a lot of people from just GETTING WET in England) that will appeal to young readers who like learning weird and wacky facts about their world.
panda_incognito's review against another edition
4.0
This nonfiction picture book shows how an English gentleman shocked everyone by carrying an umbrella, but ultimately popularized this way to protect oneself from London's rains. The book explains the reasons why British people frowned upon umbrellas, and addresses the cultural significance of umbrellas elsewhere on the globe. It also includes a timeline at the end that covers the umbrella's development and mentions some of its significant appearances in popular culture. I found this very entertaining and educational, and enjoyed the vivid language and detailed illustrations.
libraryrobin's review against another edition
3.0
Delightful story of a guy who followed logic, not custom, and carried an umbrella. Fun rainy-day read with excellent humor and illustrations.
maidmarianlib's review against another edition
funny
informative
slow-paced
5.0
Love the playful language and the great character expressions in the illustrations.
mandarchy's review against another edition
4.0
I hope this book gets nominated for the Children's Choice award. The students love picture books about how things were invented. In this case, it's how the umbrella came to London. I think it would be fun to talk about the vocabulary for rain. The book includes a paragraph of information, timeline and bibliography.
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