Broken Umbrellas

This graceful book describes the life of a homeless woman, a ``street picker,'' who is ``always there, collecting things that have been thrown away.'' Spohn (Christmas at Anna's) outlines the girl's childhood in an unnamed foreign country; her aptitude for school (``she was extremely intelligent and very curious''); her career teaching at a university. There are hints of mental illness (she begins to hoard things, has strange dreams, talks to herself). At present the woman spends her days watering plants; feeding stray cats and pigeons; rummaging through garbage for treasures, for food, for her favorites-broken umbrellas. Spohn's text neither judges nor explains; it does not attempt to justify nor does it sensationalize. Instead, its quiet strength illuminates the heroine's character, with sadness but without pity. Likewise, her paintings guide through their emotional content; they are like days when the sun is about to break through, shrouded in mist and dappled with inner light. She communicates through feeling rather than substance, and some of her paintings may be difficult for a child to grasp. Overall, however, there is such a pleasing sense of poetry, of vision to this book that it is sure to leave a lasting impression. Ages 3-8. (Sept.)