Jonas Hanway's Scurrilous, Scandalous, Shockingly Sensational Umbrella Written by Josh Crute
Illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen
Published May 12, 2020
Mom's Review
The most shocking thing I learned is that Londoners were opposed to the umbrella as recently as 1750! Jonas Hanway, readers will learn, was a grumpy old Londoner who hated getting rained on. He traveled the world and learned that Persian society used umbrellas. At first he thought it strange. Readers are urged to think twice about his surprise at the "scandalousness" of umbrellas; since the ancient Egyptians, cultures around the world have shielded themselves from the elements (see back matter for more details). Hanway saw in Persian practice the solution to his problem; he took the idea back to London where, although it was not welcomed for several decades more, he used an umbrella daily.
Jonas Hanway's Scurrilous, Scandalous, Shockingly Sensational Umbrella is an interesting bit of history well-told. I find that I learn history best from biographies and memoirs, and that's how I want to approach history with T as well. This is definitely one to add to the 1700's list! On top of the text, the pictures are fun (my favorite is the antique map with mermaids in the corners). Be sure to keep your eye out for a particular orange cat that pops up throughout the book!
Son's Review
(Age: 5)
It's a neat story. My favorite part is the first page because it tells you how the rain goes. I think the thing that's interesting is that some umbrellas are all black. Ours are black. I learned that umbrellas were an ancient thing.
What should people know about this book?
They should know that they'll probably like it. There's not much to learn, in my opinion. It's just a fun story. And, umbrellas are ancient.
What would you think if you saw an umbrella for the first time?
I'd think, "That looks useful."
Note: A review copy was provided by Page Street Kids in exchange for an honest review.
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