A New Coat for Anna

by Harriet Ziefert

Overview

"A fresh and moving story of a mother's dedication to acquire a coat for her daughter in post-World War II hard times. Anna's mother decides to trade the few valuables she has left for wool and for the services of a spinner, a weaver, and a tailor. Lobel's pictures do a tremendous job of evoking the period. Insightful and informative, this may make children consider how precious the ordinary can become in times of turmoil."—(starred review) Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780394898612
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	05/12/1988
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	99,051
Product dimensions:	7.81(w) x 9.81(h) x 0.14(d)
Lexile:	580L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Harriet Ziefert is the author of hundreds of children's books and the publisher of Blue Apple Books in Maplewood, New Jersey. Her books include the bestelling Sleepy Dog in the Step Into Reading series and the acclaimed A New Coat for Anna, a story of the devotion between a mother and daughter during hard times after World War II.

Editorial Reviews

A rebuilding of the country after war and the gradual attainment of a much-needed new coat are deftly woven themes, luminously portrayed by Lobel. Ages 4-8. (April)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 2 In the tradition of Beskow's Pelle's New Suit (Harper, 1929), Ziefert tells the story of Anna's new coat. In contrast to the warmth of Pelle's Swedish mountain village is the war-torn town in post-World War II Eastern Europe in which Anna and her mother live. While Pelle trades chores for the making of his suit, Anna's mother trades treasured possessions from better daysa gold watch, a teapot, a lamp, and a necklace. Ziefert's writing is clear and succinct, but it is in Lobel's brightly colored paintings that the story truly unfolds. From crumbling rooms cluttered with mementos of a better life to the charm of the tiny sheep farm, the illustrations bring to life another time, another place, and a little girl whose delight in her new coat is just as great as that of many a young reader of this book. The expressiveness of the faces in Lobel's paintings brings life to the story. Ziefert's tale, based on a true story, carries a simple lesson that will be understood and cherished by all ages. Susan Scheps, Bertram Woods Library, Shaker Heights, Ohio

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