Friday, December 13, 2019

Under the Love Umbrella
by Davina Bell, Allison Colpoys (Illlustrator)

Synopsis (via Goodreads): 

Whatever you fear, come close my dear
You’re tucked in safe for always here
And I will never not be near
Because of our love umbrella

From this award-winning creative duo comes a book about the wonder of ever-present love. A stunning celebration of the joy and comfort that is always with us, wherever we roam in the big, wild world.

Who’s under your Love Umbrella?


𑁋𑁋𑁋

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Under the Love Umbrella was a lovely book that all of my children enjoyed, although for different reasons. At the start of the book we're introduced to four children: Joe, Brian, Grace and Izzy. We're also issued a challenge of sorts: "There are lots of umbrellas inside this book. Can you help us find them all?" What child could resist? Even I was tempted to play along!

Initially, all three monsters tuned me out in order to look for the hidden umbrellas (some of their locations were very creative, and I was able to share my findings), but I like to think they heard some of what I said, if only subconsciously. My son is older, so I'm sure he heard more than he was letting on, but his main objective was finding more umbrellas than his sisters. After a few pages of this madness (I wanted them to look for the umbrellas and pay attention to the story), we started looking for them as a group before reading each page. (I highly recommend going this route, if you decide to read this with your kiddos!)

Once I started doing that, my son was noticeably more attentive to the actual story. I think he was able to relate to some of the circumstances the children found themselves in, like being alone in the dark, or when it talked about friends that wouldn't share. These are issues he's dealing with presently, so the correlation of these happenings with a love umbrella was creative and offered a different perspective. Yes, scary or unfair things may happen during the day or at night, but he'll always have a love umbrella waiting to encompass him. Feeling shy or left out, moving somewhere new, bad dreams, big dogs, broken toys, embarrassing accidents -- all of these (and more) are mentioned throughout the story.

I really liked that the author covered a wide range of situations that could make a child feel poorly, and them subtly reminded them that despite all of that, there's still a love umbrella. "My love for you goes on forever" was beautifully rendered by the illustrator (all of the pages popped with color and creativity), and I think this duo has gifted the world with something magical and lasting. I know it will be a book that we read again and again! I'm pretty sure there are even two moms on one page tucking their child into bed for the night, and I'm thrilled that this wasn't a book written solely for cookie cutter families. I truly believe everyone will find something to love within its pages.




8 comments:

  1. Omg the cover for this book is too darn cute! I'm glad that your children were able to enjoy the book :) I'll probably get this book as a gift to my little cousin. Great review!

    Elle @ Keep on Reading

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    1. I really loved the cover and the illustrations! They really complimented the story being told. <3

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  2. Glad to hear your kids liked this one, it does sound cute.

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  3. This sounds like a delightful, interactive story for children! A good way to help kids that may be scared of the night, like my grandson, too. I'll have to check this book out! Wonderful review, Lindsi! :)

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    1. Let me know what you think! I think the concept is creative and effective!

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  4. Great eye-catching colours on the cover so I can imagine the inside pics too. I'm impressed that you could read this with children of different ages with them all being able to get something from it. The sign of a well thought out children's book

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    1. Yes! The girls were able to search for umbrellas with their brother, but some of the situations applied to them, and I think they understood the story as it was being read. Obviously, a five-year-old will comprehend better, but it was nice that there was something for everyone. Like you said, it's a sign of a well thought out children's book! :)

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“Stuff and nonsense. Nonsense and stuff and much of a muchness and nonsense all over again. We are all mad here, don't you know?”
― Marissa Meyer, Heartless