Snoring Beauty by Bruce Hale, illustrated by Howard Fine.

Sleeping Beauty with a twist, this story still has a fuming fairy and curse.  But there the resemblance ends.  When the princess is grown, the curse goes into effect, turning her into a sleeping dragon.  This curse comes with a quince connection, making it all the harder to break.  Princes from all across the land come to try, each with a quince of some sort, but nothing works.  Until one day a young man enters the castle and manages to break the curse with just a kiss alone.  You’ll have to read the book to find out why it worked.

Hale has created a book that is very, very funny.  Each name of a royal figure is designed to make you giggle:  Queen Esophagus is married to King Gluteus.  Lovely.  The princess in her dragon form snores with a hysterical Squonnnnk-sheeeooo, a noise I dare you to do without drawing laughter from children.  The illustrations just add to the fun, with the lipstick endowed purple dragon and the wide range of fairies.  Many of the jokes will be too much for very small children, older elementary children will enjoy it most.

A great romp of fun.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

The Umbrella Queen by Shirin Yim Bridges, illustrations by Taeeun Yoo.

Noot grew up in a Thai village that specializes in making and painting umbrellas.  Her mother and the other women of the village decorated the umbrellas with paintings of flowers and butterflies.  Noot helped her father and grandmother make the umbrellas, but wanted most to help her mother paint them.  Noot’s mother let her help, having her copy her own design exactly.  Noot did so well that she was allowed to have her own workspace to decorate umbrellas.  She started out painting flowers and butterflies following her mother’s pattern, but then started painting playful elephants on the umbrellas.  When her parents discovered her changes, Noot was scolded.  The shop in town only sold the conventional designs. So Noot painted the butterflies and flowers, but in the evenings painted her own designs on small toy umbrellas that she used to decorate her windowsill.  Then one day it was announced that the King would be coming to select the Umbrella Queen.  All of the umbrellas were displayed for his consideration, but the ones that caught his eye were small and on a windowsill.

Offering a lovely glimpse of Thai village life intertwined with art, this book is a gentle look at duty and creativity.  The illustrations have a feeling of timelessness with their gold, red, turquoise and black colors that have a certain handmade aspect.  The text reads aloud easily and well, explaining for American children with just enough detail why Noot cannot choose what she paints on the umbrellas.  There is a flow between the illustrations and the text that makes it perfect for reading aloud as well.

Recommended for story times about rain, this umbrella story will bring a multicultural aspect to your next story time.  It’s bright colors will also be welcome next to the stormy clouds of gray and blue in most rain books.