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maidmarianlib's review
3.0
Beautiful soft illustrations about a young girl who does not paint flowers and vines on her umbrellas like everyone else but paints elephants instead. A sweet story about being your self and doing what comes from your heart.
tashrow's review
4.0
Noot grew up in a Thai village that specializes in making and painting umbrellas. Her mother and the other women of the village decorated the umbrellas with paintings of flowers and butterflies. Noot helped her father and grandmother make the umbrellas, but wanted most to help her mother paint them. Noot's mother let her help, having her copy her own design exactly. Noot did so well that she was allowed to have her own workspace to decorate umbrellas. She started out painting flowers and butterflies following her mother's pattern, but then started painting playful elephants on the umbrellas. When her parents discovered her changes, Noot was scolded. The shop in town only sold the conventional designs. So Noot painted the butterflies and flowers, but in the evenings painted her own designs on small toy umbrellas that she used to decorate her windowsill. Then one day it was announced that the King would be coming to select the Umbrella Queen. All of the umbrellas were displayed for his consideration, but the ones that caught his eye were small and on a windowsill.
Offering a lovely glimpse of Thai village life intertwined with art, this book is a gentle look at duty and creativity. The illustrations have a feeling of timelessness with their gold, red, turquoise and black colors that have a certain handmade aspect. The text reads aloud easily and well, explaining for American children with just enough detail why Noot cannot choose what she paints on the umbrellas. There is a flow between the illustrations and the text that makes it perfect for reading aloud as well.
Recommended for story times about rain, this umbrella story will bring a multicultural aspect to your next story time. It's bright colors will also be welcome next to the stormy clouds of gray and blue in most rain books.
Offering a lovely glimpse of Thai village life intertwined with art, this book is a gentle look at duty and creativity. The illustrations have a feeling of timelessness with their gold, red, turquoise and black colors that have a certain handmade aspect. The text reads aloud easily and well, explaining for American children with just enough detail why Noot cannot choose what she paints on the umbrellas. There is a flow between the illustrations and the text that makes it perfect for reading aloud as well.
Recommended for story times about rain, this umbrella story will bring a multicultural aspect to your next story time. It's bright colors will also be welcome next to the stormy clouds of gray and blue in most rain books.
heathermassa's review
4.0
Awesome illustrations of linoleum print with pencils. Sweet story about a girl who bucks tradition and it pays off.
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