AND RED GALOSHES

A pair of bright red galoshes inspire a small girl and her little brother’s entertainment on a windy, rainy day.

The palette is pale and muted (except for those cherry red overshoes) and the line simple, with lots of white space, as the two children toss leaves, almost lose their kite and use their umbrella as a boat after the rain starts. Occasional adults similarly float by, with properly adult accoutrements like a briefcase or a cane, in their own upside-down umbrellas. Each rhymed phrase ends in the title: “splishing, sploshing, soggy washing…and red galoshes. / Mudpies and moats, umbrella-boats…and red galoshes.” The galoshes serve as paddles, as ballast, even as a place for the dog to sit, and readers discover it is grandma’s red galoshes that the children have admired and so utilized. At the end, “A warm feather bed, two sleepy heads…and red galoshes” find children tucked into bed, the dog asleep at its foot and the galoshes under the mattress just waiting for the next adventure.

First published in Australia in 2011, this import’s gentle whimsy should find a warm welcome on these shores.