Book Review: Silk Umbrellas

Silk Umbrellas
By Carolyn Marsden

This is one of the many chapter books I’ve read recently while researching titles for upcoming Literary Child issues. I had never heard of the title before, but happened to pull it off the library shelf, and I’m glad I did. I loved this book, so I thought I’d take a moment to recommend it.

Silk Umbrellas is a beautiful story set in Thailand about a young girl named Noi who has a passion for painting, learned from her aging grandmother.

The family’s financial struggles send Noi’s older sister to a job in a radio factory, working long, tiring and monotonous hours. Noi desperately fears the same fate awaits her, when all she yearns to do is paint silk umbrellas, receiving her inspiration from the wildlife and beauty that surrounds her jungle home.

Noi must either resign herself to her dreary fate…or gain enough faith in her gift to make money for her family using her talents and following her passion. But is her art good enough to sell? And does she have the courage to find out? Courage like that is hard to muster at such a young age.

Silk Umbrellas is a sweet and inspiring story and suitable for children of any age!