Sunshine

Author & Illustrator: Ludwig Bemelmans
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-0-500-65235-0
Pages: 48
Price: $18.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Mr. Sunshine has an apartment available, and he is very picky about who can rent it. So when Mrs. Moore arrives to see it, he pounces on the opportunity to rent it to her – the perfect tenant. What he doesn’t realize is that she plans to use it for a music school.

When Mrs. Moore is forced to buy 2,000 umbrellas after bidding at an auction, Mr. Sunshine thinks he’s finally gotten the upper hand. She can’t pay the rent, and he plans to evict her. But when rainy days arrive, she resourcefully sells all the umbrellas at a profit, keeping the apartment.

As the story concludes at Christmas, Mr. Sunshine realizes the errors of his ways and apologizes to Mrs. Moore. A happy ending along with a rendition of “O Holy Night” conclude the tale.

This charming reprint of the 1950 classic from the creator of Madeline is a fun read for kids that introduces them to the sights and sounds of New York City.

Reviewer: Alice Berger