A sweet story of kindness and empathy with vivid illustrations. Elise was so excited about getting her new coat. With great detail, she loves everything about it. It's color and how it will keep her warm in the cold. She could not wait to wear it to school but when the big day came, she was worried about her coat getting ruined. She wore her coat proudly until she saw a very sad sight. It kept her up at night until she knew what she had to do.

A great read to book that shows what we can do when we see a need. How we can respond and how kindness helps us love more deeply.

A special thank you to Flyaway Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

The Coat was such a sweet story with a positive message!
The story is about Elise who loves her big sister's red coat and can't wait until it gets passed to her. One day she meets a mother and her daughter who are homeless and thinks about how she can help them.
I loved that The Coat addressed that there are people less fortunate and anyone can help them in their own way. I will definitely be getting this book for my classroom to teach my students how they can help others in their own small ways which may be very big for someone else.

The Coat is a very sweet book and a great way to introduce homelessness to children. The emotional journey Elise goes through is perfectly reflective of what children may experience and can help them manage those emotions in addition to creating much needed empathy in them for the homeless.

This book had an unexpected and thoughtful plot. I appreciated that it didn't venture into 'savior' territory, as some children's books tend to do around issues of inequity, but promoted care for others and selfless behavior.

Thanks to Netgalley and Flyaway Books for a free digital copy.

A sweet story of wishing for something so badly, but then feeling compassion and selfless enough to give it away. The illustrations are very cute and the story has a great message.

I read the book, and I love the concept. I however, felt that it was unfinished. I needed to see how the girl's family reacted to her giving the coat, scarf, and gloves to the homeless. While I admire what the girl did, I feel that the family's reaction needed to be seen to reiterate that what the girl did was right. This would encourage a discussion with readers. The author acknowledges most people ignored the homeless, so it needed to be shown whether the family approved of the girl's actions, and donated more clothes, or whether they disapproved for whatever reason. It is a wonderful concept; however, the conclusion was lacking.

Review of eBook

Elise couldn’t wait for the day that Mia’s red coat would become hers. She loved that coat, red as a poppy and with enough pockets to hide her feather collection. Elise dreamed of wearing it.

Finally, Mia outgrew the red coat. Elise was ecstatic. She hung the red coat in the front of her closet and looked forward to wearing it in the morning.

Tucked into the red coat, Elise walked with Mia to school. But on the way, she saw a girl sitting with her mother. It was cold and they were wearing only summer clothes; they were freezing. Elise couldn’t forget the shivering girl.

The next day, she tried to ignore the girl and her mother by looking at the ground just the way everyone else did as they quickly walked past them. But that didn’t help.

What will Elise do?

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The target audience for this picture book is the young reader, ages three through seven, preschool through second grade. This touching tale helps the child develop understanding and empathy as they see what Elise chooses to do when she faces the dilemma of a young girl and her mother, homeless, hungry, and in need.

The simply-told story illustrates compassion and the importance of caring for others, of understanding how each person can make a difference.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Flyaway Books and NetGalley
#TheCoat #NetGalley

Elise loves her big sister's beautiful red coat and can't wait until she is big enough to wear it. On that day, she proudly wears the coat to school. A chance encounter with a homeless mother and daughter shivering in the show makes Elise look at the coat differently and she discovers the joy of helping others.

Read The Coat to promote discussions about homelessness, poverty, compassion, respect, acts of kindness and self-reflection.

Elise is an adorable little girl who can't wait for her sister to pass down her amazing red coat to her. She has been waiting forever for her sister to grow out of it so it can belong to her.

Finally...a long last... Elise gets gifted with that special coat she so longs for. Hurray! She is one over-the-moon happy little sister.

All decked up in her new red coat off she skips to school to show everyone her prize coat. Along the way her tender heart encounters something that changes everything for her. Elise learns that the joy that comes from belongings cannot compete with the joy of reaching out and helping others less fortunate.

"The Coat" unmasks the hardships of being homeless and vulnerable and inspires readers to open up their hearts and treat less fortunate ones with compassion and respect. A downloadable discussion guide will be available October 2022 at flyawaybooks.com /resources. I love the message of the book and I highly recommend it.

A delightful story about giving to those in need. I just think it would have been more appropriate for her to give away her old coat instead of going without. reminds me too much of "The Giving Tree" and "Rainbow Fish." Not exactly a book about giving but self-sacrifice, two very different things.

This was a great story of selflessness! The illustrations were beautifully done! It teaches children about helping others and showing kindness!

I have to wonder if my eARC was missing pages, because it jumps from Elise being locked out of school to the houseless girl wearing her red coat and saying her (presumably Elise's) thoughts were enough to keep her warm. This after saying multiple times that it's "penguin cold" outside.
I understand that it was big for Elise to give up this coat she had wanted for so long, but she also had her old coat that she could have given to the girl and then not have been coatless for the rest of the day. Or she could have told a teacher or parent and they would have likely been able to do more. Kids should work for a more just world, but I don't think this book goes about trying to get kids involved in fixing society in the right way.

(Originally written in French.)

This is the story of a girl named Elise who waited a long time to receive a red coat when it was too small for her sister, Mia (in America, it's called a hand-me-down). She finally got to wear the coat when it was very cold outside; "penguin cold."

Starting out, she was gloriously happy, but later couldn't enjoy it because she saw a homeless woman and little girl near the town hall, and they didn't have winter clothes or coats. That night she couldn't sleep, she was so worried.

The next day, she gave the homeless girl some candy on her way to school--another cold snowy day. But she couldn't enjoy her coat, thinking about the mother and daughter.

So she took off her things and gave away her coat, hat, and scarf, and ran to school. She had to wait to be let in late at school, but "her thoughts kept her warm."

While this demonstrates a giving heart, Elise should have talked to her mother (and/school teacher?) about her concerns.

Then, if she still wanted to, she could WEAR A COAT while giving one away. I'm not comfortable with stories that encourage small children to take on the burdens of society, to
think they need to fix these types of things all by themselves, or have to give--what they are given by their parents--to others. It can so easily be abused and turn out very sadly. And parents don't always have enough money to replace what children may give away.

These situations are for adults to handle, not for children. To guilt kids into thinking they are responsible for serious matters is irresponsible when they go beyond kindness.

Communication between children and adults should be the message; so they can work together in a coordinated effort!

Children in today's society deserve better examples, and better problem solving role models and skills.

2/5

Thanks to Flyaway Books and NetGalley for the temporary ebook preview; any review is voluntary and completely my own opinion.

#TheCoat #NetGalley
#FlyawayBooks
#SéverineVidal #SéverineVidalAuth
#LouisThomas #LouisThomasIllus
#FictionHandMeDownCoat
#FictionHomelessness
#FictionYoungSchoolChildren
#FictionKindness
#FictionGivingWithoutPermission
#FictionNoCommunicationWirhAdults
#FictionTooYoungForSocialResponsibility

Oh, this book just tugged at my heartstrings in the best kind of way! The family in this story is sweet, and loving, and they share hand-me-downs, as many families do. The main character is patiently waiting to get her sister's big coat when she has outgrown it, but it feels like it is taking FOREVER! One day, after she finally receives it, she is walking to school wearing the beloved red coat, and she sees something that changes her perspective about the coat completely. It is a sweet story of selflessness, of not looking away from problems, but actively helping to deal with them, and of caring for your fellow neighbors. I absolutely loved this one and cannot wait to purchase it for my school library!

This book is very a sweet look at children's complex emotions. It is easy to relate to how much Elise wanted that coat, despite it being a hand-me-down. In some ways it represented a sign of growing up, finally being able to wear the "big girl coat". And how she treasured it, as well as how her friends were so excited for her to have gotten the coat was very refreshing, as in too many instances being seen by one's peers in cast off clothing is a stigma. The encounter with the homeless woman and child was heartbreaking, but that Elise gave her sacred coat to the cold little girl was a bit predictable, but not in a bad way. I think it was a nice example of kindness without any fanfare or backpatting for Elise, reinforcing that being kind does give you the warm fuzzies. Overall a sweet book for children.

The Coat by Séverine Vidal is a touching story of how a child learns the true meaning of giving.

Elise waits and waits for her sister Mia to outgrow the perfect, beautiful red coat that will one day be hers. Then, an unexpected encounter changed everything Elise believe about that coat, leading her to realize the joy of giving to others.

Short, sweet, and right to the point, Vidal creates a marvelously told story that displays goodness and kindness. With beautiful artwork by Louis Thomas, The Coat will definitely touch the heart. Every home and school library will want to own a copy of this uplifting story.

Highly recommended!

I was reading through this book on my phone and on such a small screen the print was too small for me to read so I enlarged it and moved the screen back and forth to see everything. I got to the end of the story and thought there was a glitch or something and I'd missed a page or two so I went back to read it again. Nope. Still the same number of pages. I was confused and wondered why it didn't show the girl giving her coat. It showed her giving something to eat and then she was at the school gate but it never showed her there coatless. I liked the sentiment that the girl would be warmed by giving to a child in need but I'm not sure that kids are going to get it without a little more to show the giving. I mean she gave the homeless girl something to eat and then she is talking about the coat. What? Food=coat? I wanted more.

Also, I was confused by her giving her the red coat specifically. Both coats belonging to the girl in the story are used. No matter which coat she gives away she is giving a used coat. Why not give away the other coat? Yes, sacrificing is important but I just felt it was an unnecessary sacrifice since either coat would have kept the homeless girl warm.

Basically, this story was just okay for me. I probably wouldn't read it multiple times with the kids I babysit. And I think they would be bored quickly with it anyway.

Need a picture book to make you cry? This is the book for you. Told with grace and honesty, this story shows us how something as simple as a coat can change your circumstances. Elise has been waiting for the day that her older sister's coat will finally be hers! When the fateful day comes, she notices the homeless family shivering outside in cold. Over the course of a few days, we see how Elise decides to pass on the warmth and happiness she feels to the young girl with nothing to keep her warm. She shares her hat and scarf with the mother for good measure. I was impressed by the level of sacrifice the author chose to convey. Elise gave all of her cold-weather clothing she was currently wearing AND was late to school because of it. She didn't wait to bring her old cold the next day, she didn't wait to ask her mother, she just did what she could to help in the moment. This book will offer an opportunity to discuss homelessness and what we can do to ease the struggle of our neighbors in a child-friendly format.

Inside The Coat, there was a great act of kindness on behalf of the little girl. I couldn't help wondering though, why that coat? Why the red coat you dreamed about getting for what seemed like forever. Why not share your other coat instead? I loved the messages of giving and kindness, but I was also wondering what the little girl would now do without her coat.

This book was heartwarming. It's a perfect age appropriate book for elementary kids to thing of others and the needs of other families. The ending of this book was cute, but abrupt. I kept trying to turn the page, thinking there had to be more. The pictures were engaging and cute.