The Yellow Umbrella: A City Fable (KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK AWARD) - Hardcover

Bruce Dunn

9780615295404: The Yellow Umbrella: A City Fable (KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK AWARD)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0615295401 ISBN 13: 9780615295404

Publisher: Mushroom Press, LLC, 2009

KIRKUS REVIEWS--A BEST BOOK AWARD FOR 2012. "The Yellow Umbrella remembered nothing about the beginning, except a beautiful little girl who took him on walks long ago, and then--darkness and sleep," author Bruce Dunn says of his hauntingly personified protagonist. "Now he found himself in the hands of another young girl, who was different from the first, yet, the same somehow. All he was sure of was that he was awake after a very long time." In this poignant fable, Lina Greeley lives quietly with her father in an old house in the city, until one rainy day when she loses a mother's keepsake--her cherished yellow umbrella! At first terrified, the Yellow Umbrella finds himself in the hands of a lonely old man, who takes him home. "Someone has left you behind. Such a pity. I'll take care of you now..." The tender journey that follows--the wanderings of a girl's umbrella as he becomes a gift passed from stranger to stranger--shows what wisdom can be found in our empathy for others. The grown-up characters he meets aren't uncomprehending fools as in much other children's literature, but figures of vulnerable humanity, directly implying that young readers begin to empathize with the larger adult world around them. "How many other people might there be to know in the city?" the Yellow Umbrella asks, embodying the reader's search for connectedness, charity, and kindness. One of those very uncommon stories that can be savored equally by adults and children, "The Yellow Umbrella" balances innocence and sagacity without ever becoming treacly. Dunn has created (in the best sense) artlessly sincere pictures that evince the magic tone so striking to readers of this exquisite fairy tale. The fragile ink line drawings quietly support the narrative--a story characterized by Kirkus Reviews as "a remarkably rare message," and recognized as one of their Best Books of 2012. In such times as these, "The Yellow Umbrella: A City Fable" sheds unique warmth in a world fraught with unprecedented danger. As the umbrella's best friend Deeber suggests, "The best life is lived for the service of others." What more timely and welcome advice might conscientious adults--and the children they love--find?

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

BRUCE DUNN was born at Euclid, Ohio, near Cleveland, in 1959. In 2006 he earned the M.A. English from City College, CUNY. Mr. Dunn has lived in Manhattan for many years.

Review:

Poignancy at a Depth Deeper Than Most Children's Books--Kirkus

"I just finished reading "The Yellow Umbrella" and loved it so much that I told a friend...it's such a sweet little book; I will never think of an umbrella in quite the same way again. Thank you for such a cute, simple and utterly engrossing story...."--Jody Blanchard--Amazon.com customer

>"Remarkably Rare Message"--- "Author and artist Dunn turns an everyday object--a yellow umbrella--into a touching tale about the joy of giving selflessly... Among the shooting stars shines the Yellow Umbrella's remarkably rare message--aspire to kindness in the service of others. The big-hearted Yellow Umbrella discovers poignancy at a depth deeper than most children's books."---KIRKUS REVIEWS --Kirkus Reviews

>"Remarkably Rare Message"--- "Author and artist Dunn turns an everyday object--a yellow umbrella--into a touching tale about the joy of giving selflessly... Among the shooting stars shines the Yellow Umbrella's remarkably rare message--aspire to kindness in the service of others. The big-hearted Yellow Umbrella discovers poignancy at a depth deeper than most children's books."---KIRKUS REVIEWS --Kirkus Reviews

>"Remarkably Rare Message"--- "Author and artist Dunn turns an everyday object--a yellow umbrella--into a touching tale about the joy of giving selflessly... Among the shooting stars shines the Yellow Umbrella's remarkably rare message--aspire to kindness in the service of others. The big-hearted Yellow Umbrella discovers poignancy at a depth deeper than most children's books."---KIRKUS REVIEWS --Kirkus Reviews

>"Remarkably Rare Message"--- "Author and artist Dunn turns an everyday object--a yellow umbrella--into a touching tale about the joy of giving selflessly... Among the shooting stars shines the Yellow Umbrella's remarkably rare message--aspire to kindness in the service of others. The big-hearted Yellow Umbrella discovers poignancy at a depth deeper than most children's books."---KIRKUS REVIEWS --Kirkus Reviews

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.