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THE TINY WOMAN'S COAT by Joy Cowley

THE TINY WOMAN'S COAT

by Joy Cowley ; illustrated by Giselle Clarkson

Pub Date: Oct. 5th, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77657-342-4
Publisher: Gecko Press

When a very tiny woman needs a new coat, she gets lots of practical help.

She is determined to make the coat but needs tools and supplies. Autumn trees shed their beautiful leaves to provide the coat’s cloth. A grey goose uses its beak as scissors to cut the leaves into body and sleeves. A porcupine generously offers a quill as needle. Thread comes from a horse’s mane, and wild weeds scatter seeds for buttons. When the coat is complete, it gives her warmth and comfort through cold and storm. With text constructed in a folkloric style, each interaction begins, on one double-page spread, “The tiny woman wanted a coat,” followed by the question of where to acquire a needed element. Each donation is offered on the subsequent double-page spread, accompanied by an italicized, expository refrain. “Rustle, rustle, rustle” say the leaves; “snip, snip, snip” goes the goose’s bill; and the porcupine’s quill is “sharp, sharp, sharp.” Young readers will have fun echoing the repetitive phrases throughout the tale, adding their own voices to the narration. The pale-skinned, redheaded protagonist is indeed tiny, depicted in Clarkson’s detailed illustrations as snail-sized, with plants, grasses, and the helpful animals towering over her. Sharp eyes will note the mushroom umbrella that shelters her and her coat from the rainstorm.

From New Zealand, an inventive and delightful tale that evokes Thumbelina, the Borrowers, and other beloved wee characters.

(Picture book. 3-8)