Jonas Hanway's Scurrilous, Scandalous, Shockingly Sensational Umbrella

I've known about Jonas Hanway and umbrellas for over fifty years, and I've done a little research on his story. It's a true story, well-documented. This presentation is well-told and delightfully illustrated, and it would make a great book for a library story time.

I am always eager to read a new children’s book on an historical topic. This one, about Jonas Hanway’s introduction of the umbrella to Londoners in the 18th Century, is a delight. The reader learns that the now-ubiquitous umbrella did not exist in London before 1750.The story demonstrates that some of the most useful, ordinary objects in our lives were not always there and suggests we not take them for granted. Both young and old readers may notice the tension between complaisant cultures that embrace, “it’s not what we do,” and the persistent individual who is sure there must be a better way.The illustrations burst with color and movement, exploring a city rich in street life and commerce (goods are bought and sold from push-carts and stands and stalls and baskets of all sizes and shapes). Finally, the readers enjoy memorable details such as the merry mermaids in the oceanscape and the swirls of color as the umbrellas finally bloom in London.I bought this book for my grandchildren and for my cousin’s grandchildren.

My almost 4 year old loves this book! He asks me to read it again and again (and I don't mind!). The pictures are beautiful and interesting to look at. We enjoy playing eye-spy and find-the-cat throughout the book (not on every page). I've enjoyed talking about and explaining the new vocabulary words as well. My 18 month old might not understand the book but enjoys the cadence. Great book, especially with all the rain we've had in the last several months!!!

This book is a riot! A joy to experience. I highly recommend you read in a British accent-and a cup of tea only to spite Jonas Hanway (read the end notes for a good chuckle!

It's not often you find the world "scurrilous" in a picture book! This is a creative, relatable way to craft a story and remember the tale of one moment in history.

The most shocking thing I learned is that Londoners were opposed to the umbrella as recently as 1750! Jonas Hanway, readers will learn, was a grumpy old Londoner who hated getting rained on. He traveled the world and learned that Persian society used umbrellas. At first he thought it strange. Readers are urged to think twice about his surprise at the "scandalousness" of umbrellas; since the ancient Egyptians, cultures around the world have shielded themselves from the elements (see back matter for more details). Hanway saw in Persian practice the solution to his problem; he took the idea back to London where, although it was not welcomed for several decades more, he used an umbrella daily.John Hanway's Scurrilous, Scandalous, Shockingly Sensational Umbrella is an interesting bit of history well-told. I find that I learn history best from biographies and memoirs, and that's how I want to approach history with T as well. This is definitely one to add to the 1700's list! On top of the text, the pictures are fun (my favorite is the antique map with mermaids in the corners). Be sure to keep your eye out for a particular orange cat that pops up throughout the book!Son's Review(Age: 5)It's a neat story. My favorite part is the first page because it tells you how the rain goes. I think the thing that's interesting is that some umbrellas are all black. Ours are black. I learned that umbrellas were an ancient thing.What should people know about this book?They should know that they'll probably like it. There's not much to learn, in my opinion. It's just a fun story. And, umbrellas are ancient.What would you think if you saw an umbrella for the first time?I'd think, "That looks useful."Note: A review copy was provided by Page Street Kids in exchange for an honest review.

Our family LOVES learning about history through picture books, so we were thrilled to find JONAS HANWAY’S SCURRILOUS SCANDALOUS SHOCKINGLY SENSATIONAL UMBRELLA.This entertaining story describes how a London gentleman named Jonas Hanway disliked rain so much that he traveled the world searching for a dryer place to live. When he arrived in Persia, he discovered the umbrella. When Jonas brought his umbrella back to England, people were shocked and scandalized. Jonas carried his umbrella everywhere he went and eventually it caught on.My children love venturing out in the rain with their umbrellas, so we really enjoyed reading Jonas’ engaging story and learning about the history of umbrellas in the author’s note. We were surprised to learn that although they have been around since ancient Egypt, it took centuries for them to become popular throughout the world.Thank you to Page Street Kids for sharing this outstanding story with our family in exchange for an honest review.

We checked this book out of the library, and my children and I were quite taken with it. The writing is very well crafted and clever, the illustrations are delightful, and we learned history in the best of ways. We are huge picture-book fans, and this is one of the best finds we've discovered recently!

This quickly became a favourite in our household for children and adults alike - fun and witty with great history references