Rainsong/Snowsong by Philemon Sturges (1995-09-01)

RAINSONG/SNOWSONG is a delightful little picture book, easily worth the nominal cost to pick up a used copy. (New copies seem to be totally unavailable.) RAINSONG/SNOWSONG features bold, interesting collages by Shari Halpern as the illustrations. These are very textured collages, appearing to use both paper and fabric, and our toddler enjoys looking at them. The text by Philemon Sturges has nice rhythym and rhyme to it. For example: "The summer rain patters, the summer rain pours, / But I don't need a slicker when I am outdoors." Since the name has song in it, our boy requested that I sing it, and it was easy to find a tune to fit. Part of the fun of RAINSONG/SNOWSONG is that it contains two related stories. The Rainsong section of the book shows a child going out into the rain, seeing various animals that are stying dry, and choosing to shed most of his clothes to enjoy the summer rain. The Snowsong section describes time spent outside enjoying a snowy day. RAINSONG/SNOWSONG is a wonderfully exuberant book about enjoying the outdoors. Our toddler loves it. Yours may, too.