The Opossum's Orange Umbrella

In the middle of a green forest lives a gentle opossum with soft grey fur, a pale cream face and a pink nose. Each day he carries a bright orange umbrella with a wooden handle and a small stitched patch, even when the sky is blue and the sun is warm and no rain has ever fallen on him. One afternoon, while he rests on a mossy log, clouds gather and the first fat raindrops begin to fall, and the umbrella finally has its moment.

Along the path he meets a shivering rabbit in a soggy blue knitted hat and offers her room beneath the orange fabric. A skunk in a red scarf joins them and suggests turning the umbrella sideways so it becomes a little traveling shelter, and a hedgehog, a squirrel, a mouse and a mole are welcomed too. This picture-book tale by Ebru Mina TOMURCUK follows the growing band of friends through the rain. Parents and teachers can read it aloud to preschoolers and early readers on Onlinemasal Com.Tr.