A Totally Big Umbrella: A reassuring story about conquering anxiety

By Author / Illustrator

Sarah Crossan, Rebecca Cobb

Genre

Mental Health & Wellbeing

Age range(s)

Publisher

Walker Books

ISBN

9781529512021

Format

Hardback

Published

28-08-2025

Synopsis

A tender picture and insightful read-aloud picture book about anxiety: showing children aged 3-7 years old they do not have to carry their worries alone - there's always room under your umbrella for someone else.

Tallulah doesn't like the rain. It spoils her new dress. It makes her favourite biscuits soggy. It ruins EVERYTHING. So, she gets an umbrella from Grandma. For a while, she feels better... But is one umbrella enough? Talullah worries about rain thundering down, and washing her away. She decides that she needs complete protection. So she gets another TOTALLY BIG umbrella and under her umbrella house, Talullah feels safe. But ... is Talullah missing out on all the fun happening around her? How can she manage her fears and still BE in the world?

A reassuring and funny story about anxiety and fear and the ways that these can hold children back from embracing all of life's joys. Perfect for any young reader who may be feeling insecure - the book will inspire confidence and show them the value in branching out of the familiar.

This is the debut picture book from award-winning author Sarah Crossan and Waterstones prize-winner Rebecca Cobb. Find out what inspired the story about managing children's anxiety in ReadingZone's indepth Q&A with the author and illustrator.

Extract from A Totally Big Umbrella

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Reviews

Sue

When the rain spoils Talulah's dress and makes her favourite biscuits go all soggy, it ruins everything. So she decides to protect herself against it. Armed with an umbrella, she feels better for a little while, even though she is not able to join in with some of the things her friends are doing. Soon she feels that one umbrella is simply not enough, so she has two . . . and then fashions herself an umbrella house so that she is completely protected. But although she is now safe, Talulah can't help feeling that she is missing out on everything that is happening outside her umbrella house…

A Totally Big Umbrella is a lovely, reassuring story about anxiety which is perfect for sparking conversations. Text and illustration work in complete harmony to show how Talulah's one bad experience of the rain escalates into a major worry, which then dominates everything that she does. Her umbrella is like a safety blanket and even when nothing bad has happened, she convinces herself that she needs more and more protection until enjoying life becomes really difficult and she finds herself watching everyone else having fun whilst she is safe, but isolated and lonely.

Talulah's story offers reassurance as she learns that nothing bad happens to everyone else when it starts to rain at her grandmother's party and no one is prepared to let a little bit of rain spoil their fun, even though it puts out the candles, 'spoils' the cake and ruins Grandma's new hairdo. Life is for living and sharing this story might help a worrier find a way to navigate and manage their fears before they become all-encompassing and overpowering. None of the adults concerned make a big fuss about what is happening even though they are not happy about it.

The illustrations are a complete joy, capturing a wealth of emotions and offering plenty of scope for pausing and reflecting on what different people are thinking at different points in the story, allowing Talulah's fears and her family's frustrations and worries for her to be explored. Whether shared at home or at school, A Totally Big Umbrella is an essential addition to any bookshelf.

40 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher