A Totally Big Umbrella

A Totally Big Umbrella

Sarah Crossan

Rebecca Cobb

Walker Books, 2025

40pp., hbk., RRP $A27.99

9781529512021

When the clouds burst open while Tallulah plays with her friend and it spoils her new dress and makes her favourite biscuits soggy, Tallulah decides she hates the rain.. It ruins EVERYTHING. So, she gets an umbrella from Grandma, and even though the rain has stopped, she opens it – just in case.  For a while, she feels better… But is one umbrella enough? Tallulah worries about rain thundering down, and washing her away. She decides that she needs complete protection. So she gets another TOTALLY BIG umbrella and under her umbrella house, Tallulah feels safe.

But … is Tallulah missing out on all the fun happening around her because carrying an umbrella, inside and out,  and trying to be involved presents a lot of challenges? How can she manage her fears and still BE in the world?

We all know a child who, having has one setback and disappointment, starts to worry about the what-ifs and slowly but steadily starts building walls to protect themselves – the living personification of “once bitten, twice shy”.  And while that might be a good thing to help protect them from doing something reckless, when the walls are so high they are prevention rather than protection, and they live in a cocoon of anxiety too scared to break out and try flying, it is time for adult intervention and this story is a strong starting point.  Sharing it with young readers so that firstly they realise that they there can be room under the umbrella for someone else, and that sharing their fears can help manage them and that they can develop strategies to cope with things can be the beginning of building resilience and strong mental health as they get older, more independent and more mature. Like Tallulah, they can eventually break down the walls, leave their umbrella behind and discover a world that they can deal with because they have learned and earned how to do so.

While there are many books to help children cope with anxiety, this one allows the child to see that fears are common, shared and can be very real and overwhelming but they can be managed if not conquered.  Grandma’s gentle patience, acquiescence and understanding provide a guide that perhaps busy parents can’t offer that help Tallulah find the courage to step beyond her self-set boundaries, encouraging young readers to take the first steps themselves.