PLIP, THE UMBRELLA MAN // Illustrated by Thomas Baas

Plip came into the world as an ordinary man. But when it started to rain, he became more and more unhappy. At first, he thought the rain would stop. When it didn’t, Plip decided to live the rest of his life as an umbrella man.

Plip now walks through the world protected from raindrops, but he’s lonely. When he meets an umbrella woman, they try to hug, but their umbrellas get in the way. This makes Plip even sadder and he finally closes himself up and leaves the umbrella woman behind. Feelings rage inside of him. Cyclones, tornadoes, and typhoons break over him and his umbrella can’t hold up. It turns inside out and collects a whole sea of rainwater that gets heavier and heavier until Plip has no choice but to pour himself out …

With his story of Plip, author David Sire explores important facets of life including doubt, love, and confidence. To emphasize the inner workings of Plip’s psyche, illustrator Thomas Baas works only with cool blue tones and one warm red. The metaphor of rain and its various meanings inspire young readers to think about how they deal with their own emotions.