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Summary
Summary
A walk through the Costa Rican cloud forest provides a wonderfully lush setting for Jan Brett's beloved animal illustrations. When Carlos drops his umbrella to climb a tree for a better view of the animals, they all cram into the banana-leaf umbrella as it floats by--from the little tree frog to the baby tapir to the big jaguar and more. It gets so crowded in the umbrella that there isn't even enough room for a little hummingbird! So over the umbrella tumbles, everyone falls out, and poor Carlos comes back wondering why he didn't see any animals all day.
In the spirit of Jan Brett's The Mitten and The Hat, this cheerful tale of escalation will have readers poring over every illustration for the world of details Jan packs in. With its classic story, exotic jungle setting, and brilliantly colorful menagerie, The Umbrella is sure to take its place among Jan's many family favorites.
Author Notes
Bestselling children's book author and illustrator Jan Brett was born on December 1, 1949. She decided to be an illustrator when she was a child and is known for her detailed and carefully-researched work.
Brett grew up in New England and attended the Boston Museum School. Her books have received much acclaim by publications including Newsweek, The New Yorker, Parents magazine, Redbook, and Publishers Weekly. In 2005 Brett earned the Boston Public Library's Lifetime Achievement Award. Her book Three Little Dassies was published in 2010 and made the New York Times bestseller list. Other of her works that have made the New York Times best seller list are: Home for Christmas 2011, Mossy 2012, Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella., 2014 The Animal's Santa.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-In Jan Brett's book about rain forests (Putnam, 2004), young Carlos heads out into the cloud forest with his green-leafed umbrella in search of tropical animals. While he is climbing a fig tree, his abandoned upside-down umbrella becomes home to a tree frog, then other animals settle in-a toucan, a jaguar, a tapir, and more. It is the monkey who sets the fully-occupied umbrella afloat. A hummingbird, looking for a rest, proves to be the final straw and capsizes this untraditional vessel. While Carlos never sees the animals he seeks, viewers will find them hiding in the pictures. Carlos takes his umbrella home where it again begins to attract occupants for a nice circular ending. The female narrator reads the story with expression, creating a different voice for each character. Brett's detailed illustrations are perfect for the close-up iconographic treatment they receive here. Original music lilts in the background. There is some Spanish dialogue mixed in, with English included when needed for clarity. The pacing is excellent, and there is enough humor here to make young viewers giggle. A nice literature tie-in with rain forest studies.--Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Inspired by the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica (according to the jacket flap), Brett's watercolor and gouache art grabs the spotlight in this tale of young Carlos, who carries an umbrella made of giant lush leaves into the forest. He sets it down in order to climb the branches of a fig tree, hoping to catch sight of certain creatures from a higher elevation. Ironically, in a cumulative plot reminiscent of The Mitten, the critters he aims to spy among them a toucan, kinkajou, tapir, monkey and jaguar accumulate inside his umbrella below. Brett depicts the main action in a wide horizontal scene on each spread, while leaf-shaped side panels reveal the boy scaling the tree, and preview the next animal to drop into the umbrella. Brett's vivid details the markings of the tapir's fur, the contrasting reds and greens of the quetzal's feathers bring the exotic creatures to life. After the monkey flings the umbrella into the river and climbs aboard, the jaguar jumps onto it and the other animals think, "Just don't eat us up!" A dramatic aerial view shows the group floating down river; what rocks the boat is a tiny hummingbird, which alights upon the umbrella handle. The creatures reach the riverbank just as the boy abandons his treetop perch, wondering where all the animals are. The author sprinkles this amiable, smoothly recounted tale with Spanish words. Yet more memorable than her narrative are Brett's paintings an eye-pleasing introduction to exquisite rainforest residents and vegetation. Ages 4-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
When Carlos can+t see the animals he+s seeking in the cloud forest, he puts down his homemade leaf umbrella, climbs a tree, and looks. While he+s gone, the rainforest animals, led by Spanish-speaking Froggy, climb into his umbrella one by one and have an adventure in his absence. Lush, verdant illustrations update Carlos+s progress and the umbrella's growing population. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Carlos makes an umbrella from shiny, green fronds to go into the cloud forest, hoping to see many animals. When the only sounds he hears are the drips from the tall trees, he climbs up a giant fig tree to see better, dropping his umbrella upside down on the ground. As the drips collect inside it, a series of animals tumbles in: Froggy, Toucan, Kinkajou, Baby Tapir, Quetzal, and--finally--Monkey, who tosses the umbrella into the river, where it starts to sink. Jaguar pounces on it as it floats by, but when Hummingbird lands on the handle, it's this tiny creature that makes everyone fall out--and the umbrella drifts back to shore. Up in the fig tree, Carlos wonders disappointedly where all the animals are. Insets of leaf shapes telescope the clever contrapuntal action of Carlos's climb and the next creature, while lush watercolor-and-gouache illustrations in vivid greens and bright colors create a diorama effect. The blurb cites the story as a complement to The Mitten (1989) and its snowy setting. Indeed, Brett surpasses herself in this handsomely designed and beautifully executed appreciation of so different a setting. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. In Brett's newest picture book, inspired by a recent trip to the Monteverde cloud forest in Costa Rica, young Carlos sets out in search of exotic animals that live among the thick vines and tropical foliage. He takes along a green umbrella, which he sets down at the base of a tree before climbing up for a better view. While Carlos scans the sea of green, hoping to spot a few cloud-forest friends, a menagerie gathers inside his umbrella, right under his nose--a humorous reversal of the adage about not seeing the forest for the trees. Brett's characteristically lush paintings portray all the misty, mystical details of a rare tropical habitat and its unfamiliar critters, including a bawling baby tapir, a sleepy kinkajou, a hungry toucan, and a brilliantly plumaged quetzal. The basic Spanish phrases punctuating the dialogue, such as \xc1 Vete! (go away) and Buena suerte (good luck) , are easily understood through context, and lend authenticity to a story with a deeply rooted sense of place. --Terry Glover Copyright 2004 Booklist
