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A Totally Big Umbrella

A reassuring story for children aged 3-7 about conquering anxiety from award-winning duo Sarah Crossan and Rebecca Cobb
Brief Description
Enchanting and imaginative, this gentle, playful picture book addresses an anxious child’s need to find control. - The Guardian 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... Read More
Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Enchanting and imaginative, this gentle, playful picture book addresses an anxious child’s need to find control. - The Guardian

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.

The debut picture book from the award-winning Sarah Crossan, stunningly illustrated by Rebecca Cobb, illustrator of The Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson.

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? Tallulah 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, Tallulah feels safe.

But … is Tallulah 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.

The debut picture book from Sarah Crossan whose novels, including The Weight of Water and One, have won the CILIP Carnegie Medal, CBI Book of the Year, the YA Book Prize, the CLiPPA Poetry Award, and whose books have been translated into over 25 languages.

Rebecca Cobb is a Waterstones prize-winner and the best-selling author-illustrator of A Wild Walk to School and the illustrator of The Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson. She has also been shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529512021

Publisher: Walker Books Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 28 August 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Walker Books Ltd

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Rebecca Cobb

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 8.0mm

Width: 254.0mm

Height: 294.0mm

Weight: 480g

Pages: 40

About the Author

Sarah Crossan grew up in Dublin and London. Her books for children and teenagers have won many prizes including the prestigious CILIP Carnegie Medal, the CBI Book of the Year, the YA Book Prize, and the CLiPPA Poetry Award. Her first novel for adults, Here Is The Beehive, was published in 2020 to critical acclaim, and was shortlisted for Popular Fiction Book of the Year in the AN Post Irish Book Awards. Sarah's novels have been translated into more than twenty-five languages. She currently lives and works in East Sussex. Find her on Instagram as @sarahcrossanwriter.


Rebecca Cobb grew up surrounded by coloured pencils, felt pens, wax crayons, poster paints and pieces of paper. She studied illustration at Falmouth College of Arts and has been living in Falmouth and working as an author and illustrator ever since. As well as illustrating her own picture books, Rebecca has also illustrated works by authors including Helen Dunmore, Julia Donaldson, Richard Curtis, Nicola Davies, Katherine Woodfine and Mariesa Dulak. Rebecca has won the Waterstones Children’s Picture Book Prize, Peters Picture Book award, the InspiREAD Picture book award, and she has been shortlisted for the prestigious CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal three times. Find her online at rebeccacobb.co.uk, on Instagram as @rebecca_a_cobb.

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