KAROLEENA'S RED COAT

Karoleena, an Austrian child, sets off for her first day at school. No one can confuse her with the other children because while they all wear navy-blue coats, Karoleena wears a bright red one. For what seems an endless period of time, Karoleena's red coat causes her to be ostracized from her conformist school friends, but as she shows herself to be endowed with talent, the coat becomes a symbol of pride and virtue. Those who are familiar with the author's Kiki books and the first Karoleena story will welcome this episode which combines a lively story, a situation meaningful to all children exposed for the first time to organized society, and the colorful illustrations of Charlotte Steiner.