PRO CONNECT
BRUCE DUNN was born June 5th, 1959 at Euclid, near Cleveland, of Anglo-Scots and German-Irish ancestry. He grew up in Willowick, Ohio. His parents, Robert, an engineer, and his mother, Jean Grafton, of Canadian origins, had three sons, Bobby, Douglas, and Bruce, the youngest, named by his father after the Scots hero Robert the Bruce. He has been—variously—an English teacher, actor, dishwasher, operatic tenor, day laborer, and a social worker. In addition to "The Yellow Umbrella", Mr. Dunn is the author of the children's book "The Vicarious Christmas Tree", the plays "The Velvet House" and "The Tragedy of Betsy Small", a story collection, "Hagiography", a novel, "The Vicambulist", and a two-part film script, "The Planet King", which explores suffering and transcendence through the lives of a tormented Everyman, the Spanish king Philip IV, and his tragic son, Carlos II. He earned a M.A. English in 2006 from CUNY, City College. The author divides his time between New York City and upstate New York, generally involving a run-down farm, tending uncontrolled gardens, daily prayer, dogs, and a few spoiled cats.
“...poignancy at a depth deeper than that of most children’s books.”
– Kirkus Reviews
Author and artist Dunn turns an everyday object—a yellow umbrella—into a touching tale about the joy of giving selflessly and how small acts of compassion can transcend cultural boundaries.
Illustrated with charming simplicity, this unusual “city fable” begins with Dunn’s early memories of the real people who inspired his flowering curiosity. One of them was Lina, a little girl who wrote stories and treasured beautiful things and, as the fable begins, is the first owner of the Yellow Umbrella. He—the Yellow Umbrella—had “forgotten the rain because he had been asleep so long,” until one day he expands “into a great, flower-like circle” to protect Lina with his outstretched “arms.” Curious about the world and his purpose in it, the Yellow Umbrella talks with other worldly umbrellas stored in the hall in a Chinese Vase, who “dreams all day of the past, when she lived far away in a big house hung with silks.” After the wise Hall Mirror accurately predicts that a journey of discovery awaits the Yellow Umbrella, he’s then lost on a bus and found by Mr. Klein, a lonely watchmaker. One rainy day in the park, Mr. Klein kindly gives the umbrella to “the Lady with the Rose Hat.” And the Yellow Umbrella’s adventures continue: “a Lady from Persia" adopts the umbrella; then he finds his way to a sick young boy, who reads and sleeps under the Yellow Umbrella’s comforting canopy. The frail boy dreams that the umbrella shaded him “as he rode on his golden elephant like a Boy-King from long ago.” Throughout this gentle fairy tale, the author gives young readers a compassionate glimpse into each of the lives touched by the humble yellow traveler. When a gust of wind carries the Yellow Umbrella up into the starry night sky, he sees the city for its vastness—but also for the men, women and children whose lives he helped make better. Among the shooting stars shines the Yellow Umbrella’s remarkably rare message—aspire to kindness in the service of others.
The bighearted Yellow Umbrella discovers unexpected poignancy at a depth deeper than that of most children’s books.
Pub Date: May 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-615-29540-4
Page count: 80pp
Publisher: Mushroom Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2012
Favorite author
Lady Murasaki Shikibu
Favorite book
The Tale of Genji
Favorite line from a book
"Poor naked wretches, wheresoe'er you are..." Lear III, iv
Favorite word
sensibility
Hometown
Willowick, Ohio
THE YELLOW UMBRELLA: A CITY FABLE: Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books
THE YELLOW UMBRELLA: A CITY FABLE: Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books, 2012
THE YELLOW UMBRELLA: A CITY FABLE: Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books
THE YELLOW UMBRELLA: A CITY FABLE: Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books
THE YELLOW UMBRELLA: A CITY FABLE: Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books
THE YELLOW UMBRELLA: A CITY FABLE: Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books
THE YELLOW UMBRELLA: A CITY FABLE: Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books
THE YELLOW UMBRELLA: A CITY FABLE: Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books
THE YELLOW UMBRELLA: A CITY FABLE: Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books
THE YELLOW UMBRELLA: A CITY FABLE: Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books
THE YELLOW UMBRELLA: A CITY FABLE: Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books
THE YELLOW UMBRELLA: A CITY FABLE: Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books
THE YELLOW UMBRELLA: A CITY FABLE: Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books
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