Binya's Blue Umbrella

Bond, Ruskin

ISBN 10: 1563971356 ISBN 13: 9781563971358

Publisher: Boyds Mills Press, 1995

Synopsis

Boyds Mills Press publishes a wide range of high-quality fiction and nonfiction picture books, chapter books, novels, and nonfiction

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 3-5-A gentle story set in the Himalayas. While out walking one day, Binya, 10, spots a blue silk umbrella owned by a wealthy townswoman; she is drawn to it, almost against her will. Its owner, similarly, spots the leopard's claw necklace that the girl is wearing. They trade possessions, and Binya soon becomes the envy of the other villagers, who have rarely seen, much less owned, such an object. The rest of the book describes some of the heroine's adventures with her umbrella and the attempts of a shopkeeper to steal it. With the exception of Binya and the shopkeeper, few of the characters are well drawn. Rather, they are typical figures used to exemplify the values and culture of the inhabitants of the village. The occasional black-and-white drawings are expressive and enhance the text. Bond uses simple language, but occasionally the omniscient narrator's voice seems jarringly intrusive and somewhat moralistic. Such lapses aside, the book affords a nice portrait of rural Indian life.
Linda Greengrass, Bank Street College Library, New York City
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Gr. 2^-5. The moment Binya sees the beautiful blue umbrella, she knows she must make it her own. So important is this goal that she trades her lucky tiger claw necklace for it. The blue umbrella accompanies her everywhere, protecting her from storms and snakes and causing her to be the target of envy and admiration from the villagers, especially old Ram Bharosa, the tea shop proprietor. So envious is Ram Bharosa that he plots to steal the umbrella. This low-key tale of rural India offers an authentic picture of the modern-day country and its people that is rarely seen in fiction for early readers. The black-and-white illustrations and the story itself offer a glimpse of childhood in the Himalayas and remind us of the priceless sense of security a much-loved prized possession brings. Frances Bradburn

About this edition

• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 1563971356
• ISBN 13: 9781563971358
• Binding: Library Binding
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32