ZIG AND THE MAGIC UMBRELLA

A magic umbrella transports Zig to a faraway place where adventure and friendship await.

All seems blue on this dark and stormy day, until a red umbrella whooshes by Zig’s treehouse. The Shrek-eared protagonist grabs hold of the umbrella, which pulls him to an unfamiliar land where dandelion-shaped trees and corallike plants have a mysterious, cheerful allure. When a bird he encounters asks for help, the umbrella becomes a tool to set a trapped flock free. Transformed by Zig’s imagination, it becomes a boat, pick ax, bridge and lance. But its real magic lies in the friendship it forges between Zig and the little bird. Kantorovitz’s mixed-media collage, full of pattern and texture, creates a vibrant fantasy landscape; the character designs and scenery recall the work of William Steig, Heinz Edelmann and Jill Bliss.

For all its seeming strangeness, a comforting and familiar tale about a journey that ends in companionship and contentment