old man's umbrella

Clinging tightly is love; letting go is true love!

Yoko Sano's brilliant dialectic on love!

  The old man had a big black umbrella, and he loved this shiny black umbrella very much. He carried it everywhere he went, but he was afraid of it getting wet and never opened it. One day, while he was resting in the park, it suddenly started to rain. A little boy ran over and wanted to share the umbrella with the old man. Would the old man open his umbrella...?

  "The Old Man's Umbrella" is another popular work by Yoko Sano, following "The Cat Who Lived a Million Times." The old man in the book cherished his umbrella so much that he was afraid of it getting wet in the rain and wouldn't open it. This seemingly foolish and funny story actually satirizes many inappropriate forms of love. This seemingly eccentric old man clinging to his umbrella is like how each of us, out of excessive fondness, overprotects certain things and does many foolish things for them. It's also like certain principles we cling to, falling into the rut of inflexibility. Through this somewhat silly old man, Yoko Sano conveys the old adage of "changing one's mindset," reminding us not to always be kidnapped by "obsession." When we turn our perspective around, we have the opportunity to discover the wonderful feeling of raindrops hitting the umbrella, to discover the joy that new experiences bring, and to allow the things we love to fulfill their most important talents and functions.

  In this book, Yoko Sano uses a large amount of blue-black to express the old man's restraint and the gloomy feeling of a rainy day. Through rich composition, the story progresses layer by layer with a smooth rhythm, from the old man's restraint, to the climax and turning point in the middle, and finally to the lightheartedness after letting go. The text uses onomatopoeia to describe the sound of rain, making it light and joyful like a song. It also describes many scenes that can be seen and heard on a rainy day, making it very suitable for reading with children and the best picture book for parents and children to enjoy pictures and the pleasure of reading aloud.