If you are looking for a story to inspire friendship in your classroom, then The Blue Umbrella is a perfect choice.

The story starts with a litle girl who finds a blue umbrella on her doorstep. She takes it with her as she goes for a walk with her mum. As she strolls, the rain begins and she starts to offer shelter to the people in her community. The umbrella grows and grows to fit more and more people under it, with surprising results.

This is such a heartwarming tale which is easy for younger children to understand. It offers lots of opportunities to talk about being a good friend and what it means to be part of a community. It can sometimes be tricky to understand how children can make a difference but the umbrella device perfectly is used to show that small actions can make a big difference and start as a catalyst for change.

The Blue Umbrella is a wonderful story to enjoy in its own right but would be a fantastic story to share as part of citizenship lessons or when focusing on community events or friendship.