The Umbrella

Bibliographic Information: Brett, Jan. (2004). The Umbrella. Jan Brett. New York, NY: G. P. Putnam's Sons.

Brief Annotation: Carlos goes into the cloud forest to look for animals and misses seeing them even though, all the while, the animals are having a great adventure balancing in his umbrella.
Genre: Fiction
Grade Level: Pre K-3
Readers who will like this: Emergent readers will enjoy the illustrations and hearing the animals' adventures. Intermediate readers will not only enjoy the illustrations but will also be challenged by the vocabulary. Readers who are learning Spanish will also enjoy the introduction to Spanish vocabulary in this story.
Response/Rating (1-4): I rate this book a 4! Jan Brett makes a story come to life. I could actually feel the humidity and smell the forest as I read this book! Her attention to detail draws the reader in and one could spend a long time just looking at the pictures alone. She also introduces some key Spanish phrases and words that make the story that much more authentic.
One question you would ask before a read aloud: From the cover picture how do you think the animals find this umbrella? Why do you think the animals are in the umbrella and not the boy? What kinds of animals might be found in the rain forest?