When an Umbrella Becomes a Way of Seeing

Children notice differences. I have never believed the answer is to teach them not to see it. The better lesson is to help them understand that difference does not diminish belonging. Lucy's Umbrella grew from that idea: that something as ordinary as an umbrella could become a way of talking about individuality, acceptance, and the wonderfully varied ways people move through the world. Picture books give us an extraordinary opportunity because young readers have not yet learned all the categories adults use to separate one another. They are still asking the simpler questions: Can you play with me? Can I sit beside you? Can we be friends Sometimes I think adults could stand to relearn those questions. Lucy's world isn't interesting despite its differences. It is interesting because of them. Perhaps the goal isn't to become blind to what makes another person different. Perhaps it is to see them completely—and still make room beneath the umbrella.