Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Monthly Challenge Under My Umbrella

By Janie Reinart
Embed from Getty Images



Bus stop, wet day

She's there, I say
Please share my umbrella




     No matter what you call it--brolly, bumbershoot, gamp, 

     parasol, parapluie, or sunshade--your challenge this month 

     is to write a story about an umbrella.







The author/illustrator Amy June Bates and her daughter, Juniper Bates collaborated on the story

The Big Umbrella.



"By the front door...

there is an umbrella. 

It is big. 

It is a big friendly umbrella. 

It likes to help.

It likes to spread it's arms wide. It loves to 

give shelter."




By Jackie Azua Kramer



What happens when several animals claim they've had exciting adventures with Elephant's 

umbrella? More exciting than walking in then rain?


"One rainy day an Elephant was taking a walk with his green umbrella.

Along came a Hedgehog.

"Excuse me," said the Hedgehog, "I believe you have my boat."

"Your what?" asked the Elephant.



By Jennifer Lloyd



Ella's umbrellas fill the house.What happens when she has to give them away?


"Ella had big umbrella and small umbrellas. She had umbrellas in pink, turquoise, and 

tangerine. She had them in every color, even jellybean green. 

Several were stripped and a few speckled with spots. A sprinkling had sparkles. A handful 

had hearts.  Some opened slowly and plenty went POP! 



By Shirin Yim Bridges




When Noot is finally allowed to paint umbrellas, she secretly hopes to be chosen as the 

umbrella queen. But what happens when her imagination takes over?



"High in the hills of Thailand, there is a village where everyone does the same thing, the 

same thing  the people in the village have been doing for hundreds of years; making 

umbrellas. Big umbrellas, small umbrellas. Paper umbrellas, silk umbrellas. Red, blue,

yellow, pink, green umbrellas--all of them painted with flowers and butterflies by the women 

and girls of the village."


Don't wait for a rainy day. Have some drizzly fun...

under my umbrella.





22 comments:

  1. Ironic that as I was reading this, it just started to rain—again—in San Francisco. So now I'm off to write a story about an umbrella. Thanks for the inspiration!

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    1. Jilanne the mood is set with the weather. Hope you find a rainbow.

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  2. What fun! And I'd already challenged myself to write as many drafts with a particular MC. Now I'll combine the two challenges into one.

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  3. Sounds great! Happy writing.

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  4. Great inspiration, Janie. I have had my share of rain so an umbrella story might banish the blues. TY.

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    1. Here’s to finding silver linings and rainbows.

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  5. I love umbrellas. My favorite umbrella story is, appropriately, Umbrella, by Taro Yashima.

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    1. Thank you, Rachel. I don't know that book, and will look it up.

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  6. The Elephant's Umbrella is another favorite picture book. I reviewed it a few years ago: https://patricianozell.com/2017/05/19/ppbf-the-elephants-umbrella/
    Umbrellas, and umbrella stories, truly are wondrous!

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  7. Thank you. Another book to read :)

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  8. I'll give it a go! Thanks for the idea.

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  9. Love it! And, it's raining today! Personally, I love French words, so I'll go with parapluie. :)

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  10. I'd be lost without my umbrella. Mine shelters me from the rain and protects me from summer's sun! I'll be looking for an umbrella story lurking under the canopy of mine. Thank you, Janie, for the inspiration <3

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  11. I love umbrellas. Have written and rewritten one idea featuring a big umbrella. But it never quite works....These books make me want to try again!

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    1. Good luck. Maybe one of these stories will be an inspiration to make your story sing.

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  12. Thanks, Janie, for the brainboost! Southwest Kansas skies are decorated with thunderclaps and lightning zaps this week. A perfect time to draft an umbrella story! I remember my Grandma Grum calling out, "WHERE'S MY BUMBERSHOOT?" (I'd been playing twirl with it on our Persian rug.) I've copied the books you recommend onto my "TBR" (To Be Read) Book List. Again, much gratitude for taking time to write, research and encourage us. Blessings and bumbershoots!

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    1. Marsha, thank you ❤️. Where's My Bumbershoot? sounds like a grand title to me:)

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  13. Fun prompt! Thank you for the inspiration!

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