I am the cool auntie. And with that privilege comes the responsibility of nailing holiday shopping and buying the best presents for my nieces and nephews. And what are the best presents? Books, obviously! However, navigating the maze of age-appropriate books for children is no easy feat. I am very clear on what are baby-appropriate books, easily identified as “books” that don’t have paper pages. I am also quite clear that books with chapters and no illustrations are targeting youth aged 12 or older. But what about those middle years? The 5 to 10-year-olds? What is a good children’s book for them?

According to my inscription in this book, I was 7 when I read the Umbrella’s Story, part of a the Featherby House Fables series. I am not sure if I liked this book, as I do not seem to have any of the author’s books in my collection – possibly they were regifted over the years to my younger cousins. Possibly I never owned them, I can’t remember. I do remember the Umbrella’s Story on my bookshelf for as long as I can remember. 7 year-old June liked books with vivid illustrations and short paragraphs, it seems. And no doubt, the hard cover and smaller size made me feel grown-up: I’d carry this book around with me as I accompanied my mother on one of her weekly trips to the library, clutching it to my chest with self-importance, convinced all the librarians would be very impressed with my book for older children.

The story as well, is very grown up. Set in Edwardian England, it tells the story of a brave (female!) umbrella stepping up to the challenge of keeping her new owner Mr Featherby dry on his way to work. The umbrella faces some obstacles and demonstrates courage and loyalty. My favorite aspect of this book are the drawings, specifically how expressive the facial expressions of the 3 umbrella characters in the story: no words are necessary to guess clearly their different personalities. The illustrations spill off the page, almost as if the page intentionally cropped their stories, the way any candid photograph is prone to do. The whimsy drawings and the storyline make this book an appropriate defacto sequel to Mary Poppins, focusing only on her magical umbrella’s younger sister.

The internet tells me that children aged 5-8 still enjoy picture books even as they begin to transition to chapter books; and that picture books for this group are typically the most charming of all children’s books. If The Umbrella’s Story is anything to go by, charming is an understatement! I can’t wait to go hunt for all the books in this series for my Christmas shopping this year. #auntiejuneisthecooolest

And you? Any children’s books that are mandatory reading for the kiddies in your family?

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Young age group notwithstanding, I learned a new word when re-reading this book:

• Brolly: (n.) a British term for umbrella.