THE UMBRELLA QUEEN
by Shirin Yim Bridges & illustrated by Taeeun Yoo
On New Year’s Day in Noot’s Thai village, the woman who paints the most beautiful umbrella is crowned Umbrella Queen and leads a parade. More than anything else, little Noot wants to paint umbrellas and begs her mother for the chance. Noot does well, but instead of the traditional flower and butterfly designs, Noot paints frolicking elephants. She is scolded since these cannot be sold, but in her spare time she paints elephants on tiny umbrellas that she places on her windowsill. When New Year’s Day arrives, the king studies the umbrellas on display, but Noot’s tiny umbrellas catch his eye. “I like elephants,” she explains simply. Charmed, he pronounces Noot the Umbrella Queen. Yoo’s delicate linoleum print-and-pencil illustrations, with their limited palette of mustard, brick, green and blue, have an entirely distinctive feel, investing Noot and her village with warmth and energy. While a note on the art of umbrella-painting would have been a welcome addition, this tale of a budding artist is a special treat. (Picture book. 3-7)