The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates (Co-written by Juniper Bates)

This is a simple book with beautiful illustrations about inclusion and welcoming others. Recommended for ages 3-8. Available at the Napa County Library.

Activity

Create a big umbrella (using crayons, paper and cutting, paints) and allow your child to draw all the people they would welcome under their umbrella.

DO

• Help them think outside the box (e.g., garbage collector, librarian, grocery clerk, grandparents, teachers, classmates, family, neighbors, anyone they see throughout their day)
• Talk about what is the same for each person they draw.
• Talk about their differences – race, skin color, hair, eye color, height, clothing.
• Celebrate their differences. This is what makes the world and our community beautiful.
• Talk about what qualities they love about certain people.
• Let them draw people HOWEVER they want, with whatever colors they want.

DON’T

• Make them categorize anyone by boy or girl.
• Suggest certain colors for boys or girls. All colors are for everyone.

Additional Activities

For older children, write words on the umbrella that represent the meaning of inclusion or diversity (e.g., strength, friend, different, same, community).

Reproducible Activities for a Rainy Day from the author and publisher can be found here.