Jan Brett, well-loved for her ornate, Scandinavian-themed picture books takes her talents deep into the Monteverde Cloud Forest of Costa Rica. A tropical twist on The Mitten, this story chronicles the antics of myriad animals that make themselves right at home in the handcrafted leaf umbrella that Carlos has left at the foot of a giant fig tree. As the tree frog, toucan, kinkajou, tapir, quetzal, monkey, and more pile into the umbrella, Carlos, who is visiting the cloud forest expressly to see these animals, doesn't see a single one. Things heat up when the impulsive monkey hurls the umbrella into the river: "'¿Qué pasa? What is happening?' Froggy asks as water starts to pour into the umbrella." Jaguar jumps in, adding to the confusion, but it's the addition of the tiniest of hummingbirds that causes the big "KER-SPLASH!" Brett's gorgeous, detailed watercolor and gouache illustrations steal the show here, from the exquisite endpapers to the vine-encased leafy side panels that reveal the tree-climbing boy on the left side and a sneak preview of the next umbrella-dwelling animal on the right side. Not Brett's best-crafted story, but her fans will want this lush offering anyway. (Ages 5 to 8) --Karin Snelson

Did You Know?
Fun Facts about Jan Brett
Each book begins with the art first.Jan likes to listen to audiobooks while drawing--usually thrillers!Each book takes about a year to complete.The pages of each book are not created in sequence (she saves the front materials and endpapers for last).Each book is carefully researched--she created The Umbrella after a trip with her husband to Costa Rica.Jan prefers to use her memories of a place to create her art, rather than relying on pictures.

For Young Writers and Artists
Tips from Jan Brett
Want a reality check on your artwork? View your work in a mirror.Be honest with yourself, and get comfortable with personal and private writing. Write in a notebook that no one sees but you.Remember the things that happen to you now. It's okay to feel things strongly as a kid. You can use your emotions as part of the recipe for something later.



From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4–Young Carlos hopes to spot certain animals in the nearby rain forest but is disappointed when no living things appear. Dropping his umbrella made from leaves, he climbs a tree for a better view. Meanwhile, one by one all of the creatures the boy hoped to see settle into his umbrella, arguing over available space until the weight of a hummingbird tips the whole thing over. The story line, which mimics Brett's The Mitten (1989) and Pamela Allen's amusing Who Sank the Boat? (1983, both Putnam), is a trifle overambitious and seems to sink, like the umbrella, under the weight of its components. The animals lapse into Spanish often enough to perplex readers, since the words and phrases aren't always clearly translated. The text fails to improve on earlier versions of this tale. However, the watercolor-and-gouache illustrations are stunning. Lush vine-framed paintings show a leafy world where countless shades of green are illuminated by tropical flowers and exotic animals. Each spread provides an enticing glimpse of the creature that will appear next and thus an entertaining visual puzzle for children. Despite the narrative's weaknesses, this book can be used as an introduction to the rain forest, and the illustrations alone make it worth owning.–Susan Weitz, Spencer-Van Etten Schools, Spencer, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
PreS-Gr. 2. In Brett's newest picture book, inspired by a recent trip to the Monteverde cloud forest in Costa Rica, young Carlos sets out in search of exotic animals that live among the thick vines and tropical foliage. He takes along a green umbrella, which he sets down at the base of a tree before climbing up for a better view. While Carlos scans the "sea of green," hoping to spot a few cloud-forest friends, a menagerie gathers inside his umbrella, right under his nose--a humorous reversal of the adage about not seeing the forest for the trees. Brett's characteristically lush paintings portray all the misty, mystical details of a rare tropical habitat and its unfamiliar critters, including a bawling baby tapir, a sleepy kinkajou, a hungry toucan, and a brilliantly plumaged quetzal. The basic Spanish phrases punctuating the dialogue, such as "Vete!" (go away) and "Buena suerte" (good luck), are easily understood through context, and lend authenticity to a story with a deeply rooted sense of place. Terry Glover
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
A walk through the Costa Rican cloud forest provides a wonderfully lush setting for Jan Brett's beloved animal illustrations. When Carlos drops his umbrella to climb a tree for a better view of the animals, they all cram into the banana-leaf umbrella as it floats by--from the little tree frog to the baby tapir to the big jaguar and more. It gets so crowded in the umbrella that there isn't even enough room for a little hummingbird! So over the umbrella tumbles, everyone falls out, and poor Carlos comes back wondering why he didn't see any animals all day. In the spirit of Jan Brett's The Mitten and The Hat, this cheerful tale of escalation will have readers poring over every illustration for the world of details Jan packs in. With its classic story, exotic jungle setting, and brilliantly colorful menagerie, The Umbrella is sure to take its place among Jan's many family favorites.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Jan Brett extends her artistic palette to include tropical greens and bright colors in this majestic picture book set in Costa Rica. Following Carlos, who walks into the cloud forest with a leafy umbrella one day, Brett introduces her legions of fans to the wonders of the habitat, featuring a bevy of brilliantly colored animals that hop into Carlos's umbrella as it floats down the river. As readers have come to appreciate, Brett's books often include some final mishap, and this one is no different: The umbrella gets too full, and a big "ker-SPLASH!" forces the animals to jump for safety as an unaware Carlos misses all the activity below. In her familiar format of large scenes accompanied by smaller vignettes on each side -- this time with leaf frames -- Brett brings home the wonders of Costa Rica, showcasing trees that drip moisture to the ground below, eye-catching tree frogs, toucans, quetzals, and other spectacular rain forest animals. As with more recent books, the author has pushed her own envelope to encompass more than Scandinavian fare, and audiences are bound to clamor over this tropical treasure. Readers can only wonder: With so many geographical lessons under her belt so far, where will Brett take readers next? Matt Warner

ANNOTATION

Carlos goes into the cloud forest to look for animals, but he manages to miss seeing them even though they have an adventure with his umbrella.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A walk through the Costa Rican cloud forest provides a wonderfully lush setting for Jan Brett's beloved animal illustrations. When Carlos drops his umbrella to climb a tree for a better view of the animals, they all cram into the banana-leaf umbrella as it floats by -- from the little tree frog to the baby tapir to the big jaguar and more. It gets so crowded in the umbrella that there isn't even enough room for a little hummingbird! So over the umbrella tumbles, everyone falls out, and poor Carlos comes back wondering why he didn't see any animals all day.

In the spirit of Jan Brett's The Mitten and The Hat, this cheerful tale of escalation will have readers poring over every illustration for the world of details Jan packs in. With its classic story, exotic jungle setting, and brilliantly colorful menagerie, The Umbrella is sure to take its place among Jan's many family favorites.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Inspired by the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica (according to the jacket flap), Brett's watercolor and gouache art grabs the spotlight in this tale of young Carlos, who carries an umbrella made of giant lush leaves into the forest. He sets it down in order to climb the branches of a fig tree, hoping to catch sight of certain creatures from a higher elevation. Ironically, in a cumulative plot reminiscent of The Mitten, the critters he aims to spy among them a toucan, kinkajou, tapir, monkey and jaguar accumulate inside his umbrella below. Brett depicts the main action in a wide horizontal scene on each spread, while leaf-shaped side panels reveal the boy scaling the tree, and preview the next animal to drop into the umbrella. Brett's vivid details the markings of the tapir's fur, the contrasting reds and greens of the quetzal's feathers bring the exotic creatures to life. After the monkey flings the umbrella into the river and climbs aboard, the jaguar jumps onto it and the other animals think, "Just don't eat us up!" A dramatic aerial view shows the group floating down river; what rocks the boat is a tiny hummingbird, which alights upon the umbrella handle. The creatures reach the riverbank just as the boy abandons his treetop perch, wondering where all the animals are. The author sprinkles this amiable, smoothly recounted tale with Spanish words. Yet more memorable than her narrative are Brett's paintings an eye-pleasing introduction to exquisite rainforest residents and vegetation. Ages 4-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

Deep in the cloud forest, Carlos decides to climb a tall fig tree for a better view of the animals he is sure are there. Meanwhile, into a small puddle in the leafy green umbrella he leaves behind leaps a tiny tree frog. He is not there alone for long, however. A toucan eager for a fallen fig joins him. Then, one by one, in the pattern set by Brett's The Mitten, Kinkajou, Tapir and Quetzal bird come inside, all adding to the crowding and complaints. When monkey tosses the umbrella into the river and jumps in, there is real wailing, followed by fear as Jaguar adds his weight. Tiny Hummingbird perching on the handle is finally more than the umbrella can handle. Everyone falls out, so when Carlos finds it on the shore he can only wonder where all the forest creatures have gone. The tale ends with Froggy happily alone back in a puddle in the umbrella. Many Spanish words are woven easily into the humorous tale. Brett's visit to the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica is reflected in the interwoven multi-shaped and variegated jungle foliage and resplendent flowers, from jacket/cover through end-papers on into the story. The main actions take place in large scenes unevenly framed with meandering vines that also form small flanking vignettes. On one side Carlos is followed in his climb up the tree while the other previews the next arrival in the umbrella. With gouache and watercolors Brett creates sensuous amalgams of plants and animals as her character interactions make us smile. 2004, GP Putnam's Sons, Ages 4 to 8.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 4-Young Carlos hopes to spot certain animals in the nearby rain forest but is disappointed when no living things appear. Dropping his umbrella made from leaves, he climbs a tree for a better view. Meanwhile, one by one all of the creatures the boy hoped to see settle into his umbrella, arguing over available space until the weight of a hummingbird tips the whole thing over. The story line, which mimics Brett's The Mitten (1989) and Pamela Allen's amusing Who Sank the Boat? (1983, both Putnam), is a trifle overambitious and seems to sink, like the umbrella, under the weight of its components. The animals lapse into Spanish often enough to perplex readers, since the words and phrases aren't always clearly translated. The text fails to improve on earlier versions of this tale. However, the watercolor-and-gouache illustrations are stunning. Lush vine-framed paintings show a leafy world where countless shades of green are illuminated by tropical flowers and exotic animals. Each spread provides an enticing glimpse of the creature that will appear next and thus an entertaining visual puzzle for children. Despite the narrative's weaknesses, this book can be used as an introduction to the rain forest, and the illustrations alone make it worth owning.-Susan Weitz, Spencer-Van Etten Schools, Spencer, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews