With a title like that I think I could just stop here? ❤️
This wonderful picture book written by Josh Crute and illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen is sensational indeed.
In London, back in the way back days in the mid 1700’s, men did not carry umbrellas. And therefore, London being London, people spent a lot of time either getting wet, or staying indoors.
When Jonas Hanway was traveling and saw people using umbrellas, he decided that he would shock people and break barriers by carrying and using an umbrella himself.
But people carrying umbrellas just was not done, nor accepted in London at the time. The history about why umbrellas were not used (because a wealthy enough individual would be able to hire a coach) is briefly mentioned in the story and explained in more detail in the interesting back-matter pages.
The trick to making a successful non-fiction story is to find a relatable lesson which will keep the factual story interesting and meaningful enough so that a reader wants to revisit the book again and again. In this case the bigger picture (so to speak) is that Jonas Hanway was passionate enough about something to not care what other people thought. He was bullied and ridiculed for carrying an umbrella and yet, he didn’t believe that others’ had a right to tell him what to do.
After many years of enduring such unpleasantness, Jonas noticed other men finally using umbrella’s as well. Did he discover the umbrella? no. What Jonas Hanway discovered was the solution to a problem and the inner strength to stand up for his beliefs.
The story is peppered with fun word play and clever language. The watercolor illustrations are bustling with action and gorgeously rendered. The spreads are diverse in composition and shift perspectives moving the reader from one page to the next. One of my favorites spreads depicts pudgy mermaids flanking either side of the globe— telling of Jonas’ travels.
There is a wonderful teacher’s guide available on Page Street Publishing’s website here.
I hope you enjoy this shockingly sensational picture book as I much as I did. Thanks to Josh Crute and Eileen Ryan Ewen, I will never put up my umbrella without thinking about Jonas Hanway again!
Thanks for sharing this fabulously fun book! ?
It is a fun book, Lib. Thank you for visiting and commenting here today!
Oh my what a wonderfully fantabulous story. He was a trendsetter. Thanks for sharing.
It’s a terrific book. Thanks for taking the time to comment, Deb!
This looks fantastic!
It is, Debra, hope you enjoy it if you read it. Thanks for stopping by PBB today!
What a fun story. And Eileen did such a nice job on the illustration.
The illustrations are fantastic and the story is fun! Thanks, Cindy!
Thanks for sharing, Jennifer. It’s interesting to learn about a story where the focus isn’t on an inventor but rather someone who used an invention to solve a problem!
Hi Judy, it’s really interesting to learn about ‘why’ med didn’t carry umbrellas at the time. Such an interesting and entertaining story with glorious illustrations!
Bubmbershoot! I must read this!
Thanks for the peek.
hahaha— Hope you enjoy it, Cathy. Thanks for stopping by!
Sounds like a fun read. Thanks for telling us about it.
Good morning, Kathy. Thank you for stopping by our blog and taking the time to comment. I hope you like the book!
Great post, Jennifer – you had me at the title! Looking forward to reading this!!
I know, Judy, the words in the title are shockingly sensational and there’s a lot of fun word play inside the book as well! Thanks!
This looks like a book I need to see! Just requested it from the library. Thanks for sharing!
Did you get all the title’s words right ?? I hope that you enjoy it, Beth!
This is the line that spoke to me while I’m re-writing my NF picture book:
The trick to making a successful non-fiction story is to find a relatable lesson which will keep the factual story interesting and meaningful.
Thanks!
Oh yikes— I hope it helps. Good luck, Susan, and thank you!
Oh my goodness. Cute, Cute and CUTE! I had no idea umbrellas could be sensational.
And scurrilous and scandalous, too! Thank you for visiting our blog today!
This sounds like a fun read! Just put it on my Want to Read list on Good Reads. Thanks for sharing.
Hope you enjoy it, Rose!
Thanks for sharing this book! I look forward to reading it.
You’re very welcome, Sarah. Thanks for visiting and commenting!
This looks like such a fun read-aloud book! And thank you for the excellent writing advice too.
Hi Vijaya, thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I hope you enjoy the book when you see it (it is a lot of fun!) . And I really hope that anything I said is helpful.
Such a fun true story! And the vocabulary is shockingly sensational!
Indeed it is on both counts! Thanks so much, Patricia!
This looks adorable!
I really enjoyed it and hope that you do, too. Thanks, Eileen!
This looks like a wonderful informative and fun read. Congratulations!
Hi Jennifer! It sure ticked all my boxes. Hope you agree!
Oh, my goodness, this looks like a terrific book. I have to get my hands on a copy. Thanks for telling me about it.
I hope that you will enjoy it when you get ahold of it, Rosi. Thank you!
London without umbrellas? Hard to believe! Thanks for introducing us to this story.
Exactly! Thanks so much, Susan!
Looks excellent–LOVE the language and the art–thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for visiting PBB, Lynn. Hope you enjoy the book!
Everything about this book intrigues me.
I hope you like it, Kathy. I think it’s extremely and refreshingly well done! Thank you!