Summary:
This book is about a little girl who doesn't have a new coat when winter rolls around and they don't have the money to buy one. So her momma sews her one out of different colored rags. She proudly wore her jacket to school and when the other kids made fun of her she told them what it meant to be rich.

Personal Reaction:
I think this book has the best story for kids to hear, because kids are always making fun of each other for what they are wearing or what they don't have. I loved it when my grandma made me things and instead of buying new clothes for my barbies she would make them herself.

Classroom Extensions:
1) You could have the kids share with the class something that was made for them.
2) You could use this story to introduce a lesson on bullying.

Coats of Many Colors by Dolly Parton

Coats of Many Colors is about a family that is not very rich. One day a mother decides to make her daughter a coat out of scraps of material that she had. She worked on it and after she made it she gave it to her daughter. Her daughter was so proud of it and wore it to school. The kids made fun of her because of it, but she still loved it because her mother made it for her.

I can relate to this story because it reminds me of the story in the Bible “The Coat of Many Colors” that Joseph was given to by his dad. I have read this story to my kids, the kids at the church, and my Sunday school class. It is an all time favorite Bible story of all ages. I think kids like it because it reminds them how special things are when they get something very special from their parent. My daughter, if she could, would save everything I give her. She knows how old she was, where she was, and what she was doing when I gave her something special.

In the classroom, you could have each day be a show and tell day. Each day, a bag could be sent home for the child to fill with something that is very special to them and let them share why it is so important. Then read the book and let the child that has brought something to class explain why they chose what they did to bring it for show and tell.