Laskuvarjo

by Danny Parker

Topias on varovainen tyyppi. Hän pitää laskuvarjoa mukanaan kaikkialla, jopa yläsängyssä, jottei putoaisi alas kavutessaan. Eräänä päivänä tapahtuu jotain odottamatonta, ja Topiaksen täytyy lainata laskuvarjoaan ystävälleen. "Älä pelkää, Topias", hän sanoo itselleen. "Ei mitään hätää." Äidin tai isän kädestä on turvallista pitää kiinni, mutta ennemmin tai myöhemmin jokaisen lapsen on päästettävä irti. Laskuvarjo käsittelee itsenäistymisen ja pelon aiheita herkällä ja runollisella tavalla. Kuvitus vie lukijat todellisuuden ja mielikuvituksen rajamaille.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime, Fiction, Juvenile, Growth Mindset, Cats

30 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too old for Indy. Add a Friday night after a full week of pre school and this wasn't meant to be. I like it. Life lessons of building confidence. Too much to take on for our level though. I couldn't fully grasp it when looking from the eyes of a young five year old either.

Addendum, today, 7/3/18. He must be growing up. Loved it. I’ll add a better review soon. He was captivated this time around. I just upped the rating to 4 stars from 3.

[Jolanta (knygupė)]

...such a beautifully illustrated kids book...

[Chase Ryder Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dad: awesome illustrations. Personal growth story about facing fears.

Ben: says he liked the pictures when prodded. Seemed sort of indifferent.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toby isn't quite afraid of heights, but he sure does feel better with a parachute on his back. The bunk bed is so high up--and so are the kitchen chair and bathroom sink. But when his cat needs the parachute for an emergency rescue, Toby finds himself stranded in the tree house without his best tool. Finding the courage to climb down that ladder leads to more everyday courage ... until, one day, he forgets about needing that parachute at all.

While I'm not sure who this is for (possibly parents, who want reassurance that their child will not go to high school still clinging to their loveys), the story is simple and compassionate toward everyone who feels a little nervous about regular things in life. The digital illustrations make clear the difference between what is seen (a few steps on a ladder) and what is felt (stomach-churning height on a swaying rope so far into the sky).

[Gaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because it is shortlisted for the CBCA book of the year. It was a nice story, with great supporting illustrations about a boy who uses a parachute as his 'safety blanket'. In the end he uses his parachute to help another and finds that he has outgrown it's use. He becomes independent of his parachute. The illustrations and beautiful presentation of this book is what drew me in. The story itself is nice, but brief. A nice one to read to younger children and those who may need to outgrow their safety blanket.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gets kinda psychedelic towards the end. I'm not sure if it works, but I appreciate the weirdness of it.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toby wears a parachute to help him cope with his fears until he outgrows them. Minimal text and illustrations that make great use of perspective.

[benita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leste den med lillebror. Fin og lite med tekst, passe stor for en tre åring.

[Virgiliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It starts out as a quirky little story, nothing especially notable … and then turns into a surrealist painting by Salvador Dali. And I’m not saying that figuratively. I guess I’m not 100% sure, but I could almost swear that the image of the boy climbing down a ladder from a floating tree with elephant-dragon-mermaid creatures flying through the cloudscape is taken directly from Dali. If not, then Ottley has captured the essence of Dali perfectly. Very strange book. My two-and-a-half-year-old liked it.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have a little one who might not be ready to let go of their security parachute (or blanket, or bottle, or anything really) then this is the book for them. Toby wears his parachute everywhere he goes for everything he does. Until one day he needs to use it to help his cat Henry get down from the treehouse safely. But that meant Toby didn’t have his parachute anymore. Little by little Toby climbs down, keeping himself calm, and then from that point forward he brings his parachute less and less until one day he just leaves it behind altogether.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young boy wears a parachute as a safety measure where ever he goes. He has tall bunk beds and chairs and trees he must climb. But one day he must rescue his cat and he has to use his parachute to lower the cat down and then climb down from the tree without it! This helps him grow a little braver and as time continues he finds he needs his parachute less and less, until one day he just leaves it home.

Illustrations are stunning! I loved the different perspectives that help you see how tall and scary some situations might be to a little kid.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, interesting book with very imaginative illustrations. Five stars simply because I connected with this on a personal level (what a cute, quirky kid that wears a parachute pack everywhere!). The illustrations really play around a lot with perspective--when Toby looks at the treehouse ladder from the bottom, it doesn't look too tall. But when he's at the top rescuing his cat, all of a sudden the treehouse looks like it's several stories high, and then swirling in the cosmos. And the end where he finally finds his courage and leaves his parachute behind was very touching.

[Morgan Tate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick fun story that would be cute for a quick read in a classroom. The message of getting over your fears and helping other is important and relatable for people of all ages. The best part about this book was by far the illustrations. Each illustration added to the drama of high Toby was, playing with cool perspectives. Another thing I liked about this book was the way the words were placed within the story, they curved and moved with the story and the pictures. With that being said definitely not my favorite picture story book but a good one if you have a few minutes.

[Sheniya Goldston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parachute by Danny Parker is a picture book that tells a simple yet emotional story. It’s about a character trying to figure out how to deal with a challenging situation and using the growth mindset. The story's flow is smooth, and the pacing feels right. The illustrations fit well with the text and add to the overall vibe of the book. It’s a good choice for younger readers, but it also offers some deeper themes that older readers can appreciate. It might not be groundbreaking, but it’s a quick, easy read with a nice message about facing challenges and finding support.

[BiblioBeruthiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gets an A for effort. The ideas and intentions behind this are great, the art is just lovely, but the storyline is a little weirdly paced/disjointed. I was convinced at first that a couple of pages were missing because the transition into saving Henry was so sudden. I love the idea, to me there were just a couple of errors in written execution. A little too heady for storytime I think, but it's a possibility.

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated book about a boy who is so scared of everything he keeps a parachute strapped to his back at all times. But one day he's called to help someone else...
The illustrations are just marvellous especially the use of perspective and taking the mental perspective of the protagonist.

[Sara Neville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing pictures you do feel the feel of looking down at the water of high diving board, or the feel when climbing down a ladder and your foot is searching for the next rung and you can't see it. We all need a parachute to see us through our fears and troubles, but like the main character, eventually, we learn to deal with it and our need for a parachute lessens.

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

As time goes on, Toby needs his safety net/comfort item (in this case, a parachute) less and less. I loved this book about becoming brave a little by little as time goes on. Though I can see how the meaning of this would be difficult for a young child to grasp.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

FEELINGS

I loved this. The artwork was precise and emotionally riveting. The text was simple, compassionate, and powerful. The theme of maturing and discarding supports echoed my parenting philosophy.

[Susanne Davison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations, super sweet story.

[Shiloah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read with my Braedon (7).

[Sussu Leclerc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great pics.

[Yolanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful book. Great for talking about courage. Loved the illustration too.

[Tommaso Pollio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful to look at

[Paul Graham Terpstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about building confidence and self belief.
Amazing illustration style and design.
Composition is great also. Very good use of strange angles to show the emotion of the pictures

[Sonja Grönqvist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaunis pieni kirja ahdistuksesta, turvallisuusstrategioista sekä niiden voittamisesta. Lasten kuvakirjana ei niinkään toimiva.

[Haylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tells Toby's story of conquering a fear. Awesome illustration style. I'll definitely be looking up Danny Parker and Matt Ottley's other collaborations.

[Steph]

Turn/Level: 1/3

Fear of Heights

Bravery isn't lack of fear, it's dealing with it.

[September · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay that had a rather disappointing ending. It's like he was taken out from his imagination and into reality when it seemed like his imagination was very promising
Beautiful art, good ideas

[Caroline Jansen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Feet