Yellow Umbrella by Jae-Soo Liu, music by Dong-Il Sheen Ages 4-8 36 pages Kane/Miller October 2002 Hardcover     The author’s description of this title on the endflap concerns a rainy day and children arriving at school with different colored umbrellas. As she spots each child arriving at school, she realizes that their differences only consist of the color of their umbrella. In the rain, all of the other elements of their lives that separate them from their other classmates have disappeared. Such is the basis for this picture book. Similar to a counting book, each page presents additional umbrellas. Pages one through seven support the counting theory, but each subsequent page does not. The illustrator moves from nine to twelve to fourteen and then twenty umbrellas. Although the brush strokes and the colors are eye-catching, it is difficult to see how this could be used as a read-aloud, or even in a classroom setting. The accompanying CD is suggested for playing while the book is being read, but there are no words, only music. Pauses in the music indicate when it is time to turn a page. Although the lyrics and score for the theme music are listed at the back of the book, the lyrics on the CD are sung in what I can only assume is Korean, since there is no translation given. It would be difficult to justify purchase of this book for any facility with limited funds.     web reviews   Joyce Rice/2008 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)