Citation: Nayar, N. (2018). The red umbrella (S. Menon, Illus., V. Purkayastha, Trans.). Tulika Publishers.
This short and sweet story starts with a sparrow who is getting wet in the rain before they spot a red umbrella to seek shelter under. As more animals come along it is decided each time there is not enough room, before an animal asks the group to make room. Eventually, the group is all under the umbrella, until the umbrella blows away and they all get wet.
The text appears in both Hindi and English, so readers of both could follow along. The format of the version I read is an eBook, but it operated exactly as a regular book, with no extra features (but I did miss touching pages). I read this book on my browser, and perhaps if I had an app downloaded, or an eReader there would be embedded features that were not available to me (although I do not believe so). The story is simple, and kids will be shown you can always make room to help one another. However, the ending did feel abrupt, and the plot may not keep older children engaged. The illustrations were bright, and the facial expressions were clear, which small children would enjoy.