A review by librarianryan
The Coat by Séverine Vidal

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

 

If you want to picture book to make you cry, this one will do it. There are so many things to love about this book. First off Elise is a little girl and the one thing she really wants is to be big enough for her sister’s hand me down coat. It’s red, it has a big pocket, a hood, and it is absolutely perfect. She can’t wait for it to be hers. The day comes when she gets the coat. She wears it to school but on the way, they see a mom and a little girl out in the cold with no coats. She goes back home but feels yucky because something is wrong. She realizes that people look at their phones, they look away, they did everything to pretend not to notice the mom and the little girl in the cold. The next day Elise said “Hi”.  Elise accidentally got locked out of school while it was cold, but not too cold. What I love is that the author doesn’t tell you what Elise did, you see it in the pictures. You see it in the authors words that her thoughts were enough to keep her warm. This book didn’t have to say Elise gave away her coat, no one made Elise giveaway her coat. Elise did it because it was the right thing to do and didn’t need to brag or point out that this good deed was done. I love this book! it’s well done and well-illustrated. The story is a joyful sadness that is important for kids to experience growing up.