School Library Journal review for Un-Brella

PreS-Gr 3–This wordless tale begins with a little girl dressing for a day at the beach though it is clearly snowing. Even the cat is surprised when she picks up her “un-brella” and goes outside. It is here that the title of the story becomes clear. Wherever she opens the un-brella, sunshine flows and grass, flowers, and insects appear. She spends a fine winter day walking in her bathing suit, sunbathing, and swimming. As the season changes to summer, she is again at home. But now, dressed in winter gear, she opens her un-brella and spends the day making snow angels, ice-skating, and building snowmen. The book ends with the girl watching rain fall, leaving readers to wonder what kind of “brella” she will use now. Franson’s illustrations resemble paper cutouts although they are done using a computer. The crisp, clean pictures have bright colors, exceptional detail, fun patterns, sly repetition, and heaps of whimsy. They are irresistible. The expressions on the faces of the cat, girl, snowmen, goldfish, penguins, and other animals clearly advance the story. Pair this title with other wordless books like Raymond Briggs’s The Snowman (Random, 1986) or Alexandra Day’s “Carl” books (Farrar) and allow creative storytelling to reign.–Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH