The rain is raining all around,

It falls on field and tree,

It rains on the umbrellas here,

And on the ships at sea. (Robert Louis Stevenson)

I was actually going to start with a more generic post on Weather, but given said weather in the past few days, I decided to start with Rain first. ;-)

Peter Spier's Rain has been a favorite for a long time. I love the detailed pictures, and the children who play in the rain (until it turns really nasty). As with all of Peter Spier's books, take some time to enjoy his charming artwork.

How Many Words For Rain ... ? Meditations on the Personalities of Rain in the Northwest Through Photographs and Poetry, by Marian Blue (Poetry) and Lynne Hann (Photographs). I read this on the perfect day, it was raining! Very nicely done, the poems and photos fit well together.

Cloudette, by Tom Lichtenheld. Cloudette is a very small cloud, and while she is happy, she wonders if she too small to be of any use. This book made me smile, and, reminded of Dr. Seuss, and Horton Hears a Who, and how "a person's a person no matter how small." Wonderful pictures!

Rains All the Time: a Connoisseur's History of Weather of the Pacific Northwest, by David Laskin was written when Laskin was new to the area. Intrigued by how native or long time residents talked, and dealt with the rain and grey skies he set out to learn as much as he could. He researched what the weather was like in the past, read lots of books to see how different writers described rain, and investigated how meteorologists see (and forecast) it. There is a nice essay on the rain in each season, too.

And finally, since I cannot think of rain without a certain song coming to mind, a book about one of my favorite musicals: Singin' in the Rain: the Making of an American Masterpiece, by Earl J. Hess and Pratibha A. Dabholkar. From the earliest concepts, to it's ongoing influences this is the story of one of best films of all time. Learn about the actors, the dances, the music, and how the scenes were filmed. There's a section on what scenes were censored as too suggestive, and one of the flubs and gaffs, as well as brief biographies of all the cast and crew members.

"Anyone who says only sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain."
(Unknown) I found this in a scrapbooking magazine several years ago. Sadly, no credit was given.

Reading Hermit With Dog