Thomas' Snowsuit

Written and performed by Robert Munsch
Originally published in 1989.
MP3 file, 4:33 minutes
<www.robertmunsch.com>

Thomas hates the new snowsuit his mother has bought him. In fact, he hates it so much that he puts up a fight every time he has to wear it. First Thomas' mother manages to wrangle him into the snowsuit, but when recess comes at school, it's another story. Both the teacher and the principal end up involved in the kind of silly hijinks young children enjoy the most.

This is a treasured story from my own childhood. We had a Robert Munsch cassette tape that was played over and over again, never failing to draw major giggles from my brothers and me. When I discovered that MP3 files of Munsch telling his stories are available for free on his website, I was pretty excited. The small files are easy to download, and there are two versions for each story: one of Munsch reading directly from the book and one of Munsch telling the story to an audience of children.

When listening to Robert Munsch, it is impossible not to be carried away by his enthusiasm. His voice communicates both the humour of his stories and his love of entertaining children. He makes great sound effects and pokes fun at the seriousness of adult authority. One of the things I love the most about his recording of Thomas' Snowsuit in front of an audience is how he uses a real child's name in place of Thomas throughout the story. I saw Munsch perform at a Canada Day concert a few years ago, and I was impressed with his genuine interest in his audience then too.

Finally, according to Munsch's website, Thomas' Snowsuit was created at the Mount Saint Vincent University daycare when a kid asked for a story about snowsuits. It was fun to discover after all these years that my favourite Munsch story has a Maritime connection!

One Elephant, Deux Éléphants

Sharon, Lois, and Bram
Casablanca Kids, 1978
All ages
5/5

There's a reason One Elephant, Deux Éléphants was recently re-released as a twenty-fifth anniversary special edition CD - it's a classic children's album that is as enjoyable today as it was back in 1978. With its mix of playground chants, traditional songs (such as "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain" and "Paw Paw Patch"), and Sharon, Lois, and Bram specials (such as "One Elephant, Deux Éléphants" and "Skinnamarink"), this CD is a great example of high-quality children's entertainment.

The tracks encourage audience participation through the inclusion of children's voices as a central part of the recording. The lyrics of songs such as "Candy Man, Salty Dog" are suitably ridiculous and amusing, while parents will enjoy singing "'A'. You're Adorable" and "Yes Sir, You're My Baby" to their kids. With a mix of English and French songs, as well as one Iroquois lullaby, the CD is also staunchly Canadian.

In my opinion, some of the best children's music ever!