The Umbrella

The Umbrella

4.24 of 5 stars 4.24  ·  rating details  ·  148 ratings  ·  57 reviews
A little dog finds an umbrella in the garden on a windy day. The moment the dog picks up the umbrella, it catches the wind and pulls the dog skywards. This is the start to fantastic journey around the world. The wind carries the umbrellas and the dog all over the world, from the desert to the sea, from the jungle to the north pole....more
Hardcover, Second U.S. Edition, 40 pages
Published April 1st 2011 by Lemniscaat USA (first published 2010)
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Michelle Doerr
What a beautiful story with the words left to you and your audience's imagination. The Umbrella is a picture book containing no words for nursery aged children. I gave this book 4 stars because when reading it I loved the rare reaction my children had. The story is of a little puppy who decided to investigate a red umbrella. Because of the magnificent pictures, it is clear that it is fall and very windy. The wind picks the puppy and the umbrella up and takes them on an adventure around the world...more
Karin
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Tasha
A wordless story told in vivid images, this book will whirl readers into an adventure. A small dog finds a red umbrella and sails up in the autumn breeze into the air. He walks on the clouds, visits Africa with its elephants and alligators, yikes! Off he heads into the air again, carried this time to the expanse of the ocean where his umbrella serves as a boat. Until that is, he sinks down below the surface only to be blown high from a whale’s spout. He is carried into the jungle in a strong bre...more
Dena (Books for Kids)
More reviews on my blog: Books for Kids
Every now and again I come across a picture book that blows me away (pun intended) with its originality.

Entirely wordless, this story of a little black dog and his adventure with the umbrella is beautifully illustrated. The story flows from one picture to the next, and you realize that no words are needed, because the pictures do a better job at telling the dog's story than words could ever do.

The artwork is breathtaking. When a story relies entirely on p...more
Hilary
A beautifully illustrated picture book, The Umbrella invites young readers to follow the adventures of a small Scottie dog and his red umbrella in a tale entirely told in pictures. I like these wordless pictures books every now and then. This is because a child and an adult can really talk about what is happening in each picture. The child and the adult could name the dog if they wanted to, and make up more stories about the Scottie's adventures even when the book is finished. Also, wordless pic...more
Chris
International book - originally published as De paraplu. This is a beautiful, wordless picture book in which a dog finds a red umbrella which whisks him into the air on an adventure around the world where he meets many animals and experiences a variety of climates, before finding his way back home. On the final end page, he puts the umbrella back where he finds it and we see a cat looking at it.
Paula

A little dog finds an umbrella in the garden on a windy day. The moment the dog picks up the umbrella, it catches the wind and pulls the dog skywards. This is the start to fantastic journey around the world. The wind carries the umbrellas and the dog all over the world, from the desert to the sea, from the jungle to the North Pole. A wordless picture book that tells a thousand stories."--Jacket flap.
Robin
When a little black dog finds an umbrella, he is blown away and has adventures around the world. Settings range from clouds, to the African savannah, to under the sea. At the end, he ends up safe at home again. Beautiful paintings (watercolor?) illustrate this wordless story. One page where the little dog is using the red umbrella like a boat, riding a wave, is reminiscent of Hokusai's Mt. Fuji.
Jennifer
Wow! This book is so beautiful. I fully believe it is being discussed by the Caldecott committee.

The full page spreads and rich colors make this telling of the story something you will want to look at over and over. My favorite picture is when the dog in floating in the sea. I just stopped and my mouth fell open. I turned back to that picture several times.
James McCann
This wordless picturebook is a great tool for any classroom from grades 1-3. Can be used for predictions; where will he go next? Also for inferring, what is happening in the story that you can tell by his facial expressions?
Follow the dog on his journey around the world, as he flies from place to place on the gusts of wind that carry his umbrella.
Anne
A beautifully illustrated wordless picture book following the journey of a little black dog with a red umbrella through deserts, grasslands, the arctic - and in the ocean! How does he travel? Who helps him on his way? And will he ever find his way home? No words but many questions and opportunities to use your imagination.
Cheryl
I was reading books that had created "buzz" for the Caldecott awards this year, and this was one of them. Stunning illustrations!!! But wordless... I'm not a big fan of wordless, so... I can see it being a good tool in a classroom for imaginative writing exercises, and the illustrations are quite impressive.
Reader
A little dog finds a seemingly harmless umbrella, only to discover it has a mind of its own. Our hero goes on a tour of the planet, from arctic ice to African Serengeti. This beautifully cinematic book (originally published in the Netherlands) makes a wordless statement with page after page of impressive vistas. -T
Miss Jessica
I'm going to have to make a wordless bookshelf soon. Images are fun, though the narrative is a little jumpy. And you have to see the inside covers to complete the story. Good use of paper I suppose, even though I missed it at the beginning.
Jennifer
I don’t write reviews on many picture books but this one really stood out. This is just a special, special book. A wordless adventure with a little dog and a bright red umbrella. Not the animal shapes in the clouds in the beginning.
Sandy
Reminded me of Barbara Lehman's Caldecott Honor title, THE RED BOOK. Both are wordless and allow the reader to travel the world in images and imagination, and both invite readers to explore both the world and language.
Kris
Beautiful wordless picture book about a little black dog who finds a red umbrella. The wind carries the umbrella with the little dog around the world. Love wordless books for the stories they inspire inside the reader.
Alyson
What a fantastic wordless book! I especially liked when the whale shoots the dog out of the ocean with his spout and the joyful look on the dog when his umbrella becomes a sled. Enjoy!
Randie
I am a huge fan of wordless books and this one is delightful!

A little dog holding onto a red umbrella is carried away by the wind and taken all over the world! Readers are able to make the story their own by having fun predicting where the little dog will end up next.
Liz
3.5 stars
Much to imagine in this wordless, fantastical journey that a dog takes after finding an umbrella in the garden. Will the cat grab it next?
Mary
A gorgeously illustrated wordless book about a scottie dog that rides and umbrella to various parts of the world. Would be great for one-on-one sharing!
Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy)
This wordless picture book has beautiful illustrations. A dog finds an umbrella and thanks to the wind, ends up on an adventure. It is important to pay attention to the end pages as well.
Emilyn
This is a very cute book for toddlers about a dog who gets his paws on a red umbrella that takes him on an adventure around the globe.
Edward Sullivan
This Dutch import is a delightful wordless wonder. I love everything this couple has done. They are superb picture book creators.
Ruth
A very colorful, large book. The borderless illustrations present action that almost pops off the page. Some stereotypical representation of potentially indigenous from the amazon region (?)--spears, etc.
Kyra Harwell
A wordless picture book about a bear that travels to many different places and how the umbrellas helps me each time.
Jessica
In this beautiful worldless picture book, a little dog goes on a spectacular adventure by way of umbrella.
Lillian
A sweet little children's book with no text that just makes you smile and smile and smile.
Paula
Sep 24, 2012 Paula rated it 4 of 5 stars
Shelves: pic
No words just illustrations. A wonderful book for kids who need to jumpstart their imagination.
Dana
Gorgeous illustrations. No text leaves for plenty of imaginative possibilities for storyline.
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