A New Coat for Anna (Dragonfly Books)

This is a sweet story about how a little girl gets a new coat during the difficult years after World War II. Her resourceful mother must trade some of her treasures to get the wool, the spinning, the weaving, and the sewing done for Anna's new coat. My daughter belongs to a FIAR (Five in a Row by Jane Claire Lambert) co-op of six 1st-2nd girls this year, and I hosted the co-op for this book. This book is featured in FIAR Volume 2, and the book has plenty of ideas for activities and discussions. Using the FIAR book as a springboard, this is what we discussed/did: 1. WWII and how devastating it was. How difficult the aftermath of war is for ordinary people, no matter which side of the war they are on. Interestingly, we are not told where Anna and her mother live. 2. Sacrifice, how Anna's mother gave up her special treasures so that Anna would be warm, comfortable, and healthy in the winter with her new coat. 3. Sheep, how important they are to farmers in many countries because they provide milk, sheepskin, meat, and wool. Also discussed shearing. Activity: Made a spring sheep picture with a template I found on the Internet and cotton balls. 4. Measurement, metric versus U.S. Customary Unit. Activity: Measured items of their choosing in both US and metric units, and filled out a chart. 5. Dyes, how roots, nuts, and flowers were used for thousands of years to add color to clothing and make paints. Activity: Tie Dye tee shirts. 6. Bartering, its history, the problems with bartering and why it was generally replaced by money, but how Anna's mother was able to barter when she had no money. 7. Weaving, its history, some vocabulary, types of looms. Activity: Weaving on small looms I made out of foamcore. The kids wove with yarn, strips of fabric, and beads. 8. Vocabulary - clothesline, war, shear, porcelain, card, ligonberries, garnet, and weave. This book is VERY similar to the book, "Pelle's New Suit" by Elsa Beskow, published in the 1920s, even down to the thanking of the lambs at the end! That book is also worth hunting down, the illustrations are just lovely. It could be a nice project to compare and contrast the two stories.

A really lovely book. One of my favorite forms of indulgence is reading beautifully written (and, when applicable, illustrated) children's books. Like J.R.R. Tolkien, I dislike allegory (overt moralizing ruins what could be a good story, and is generally insulting to children, not to mention the rest of us), but I think that a good book, whether for children or adults, should have a message, and the more subtle the message, the better it comes across to the reader. A New Coat for Anna hits all my criteria for a good book right on the head. It never talks down to a child (and they pick up on that a LOT more than many adults think); it educates; it teaches patience, appreciation, love, and gratitude without ever being preachy; and it brings today's children to understand that there were times when necessary things were not to be had just by wanting them. I read children's books as much as I do "literature," and this is one that will stay on my bookshelf, to be dipped into when I feel my soul needs refreshing. I only wish my Mother had read it to me nearly sixty years ago, so I would have fond memories. But then, I wouldn't have had the later in life joy of discovering it.

This is a lovely book. I had it as a child, and love sharing it with my children now. I tells the story of a little girl who needs a new coat in post-war Europe. She and her mother barter for the various items needed to make the coat, and it takes a full year. It teaches children the work that goes into make clothing, how important this new winter coat would be, and how proud Anna was when it was finally done. It shows children in a simple way how things were done in the past, and how far we are removed from that way of life today.

I wash raw fleece, dye it, comb or card it, spin and weave the final product. My granddaughters are interested in the process and my craft, so I purchased this book to help them further understand and appreciate why I make things, just for them. Children love to feel different textures, naturally love animals, like special presents made for them by loving grandparents and hopefully, will not have to be in those same circumstances as Anna and her mother (post war). This book is beautifully illustrated in soft, natural colors (no neon) and the pictures relate well to the story being told. It's a special book, a touching book.

We purchased this as a gift. My own children have a copy. It's lovingly worn as it is one of their favorite books.

If you want the children to learn about difficulties of war, bartering, and the process of making products, its a must purchase.

Purchased this book used as a need for our homeschool program. It is a cute story with valuable lessons to share.

My name is Anna, and I am 81 years old! My sister sent me pictures of an old book she found in her grand daughter's bookcase. She thought I would love them, and I did. I bought a copy right away, because I knew and loved the illustrator Anita Lobel. I bought the book for myself! It is a very good story, and since I was a tailor, I appreciated the details of the story, from sheep to happy child with new red coat. I am very glad you had this book for sale, although it is a paperback.....I would have loved a prime handbook copy from the days of yore. I was a child in WWII, also, so it is significant to me.