I have a new favourite cosy read to add to my collection.
The Tiny Woman’s Coat
A small and cosy book leaving preschoolers snug as a bug, from award-winning author, Joy
Cowley.
The Times Children’s Book of the Week.
The tiny woman makes a coat of leaves with the help of her animal friends. The trees, geese,
porcupine, horse and plants all share something so the tiny woman can snip, snip, snip and
stitch, stitch, stitch a coat to keep herself warm.
Friendship and sharing are at the heart of this warm and simple rhythmic poem by one of the
world’s best children’s writers. A perfectly cosy hardback storybook to read-aloud and share
with babies, toddlers and preschoolers who will delight in everything tiny and small, including
the fresh and funny illustrations by award-winning illustrator Giselle Clarkson.
“Now I have a new favourite cosy read to add to my collection.” — The Times.
Joy Cowley is one of New Zealand’s best-loved writers for children and adults, and her stories
are loved around the world. She has won a multitude of awards and honours for her bestselling
books, including the Prime Minister’s Award for contribution to literature. She was shortlisted
for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2018.
Giselle Clarkson is an illustrator and comic artist based in New Zealand. She illustrated Egg and
Spoon: An Illustrated Cookbook by Alexandra Tylee which won the Elsie Locke Award for Non-
Fiction at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and The Gobbledegook
Book: A Joy Cowley Anthology.
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Book Details
Country of Origin New Zealand Reader Age 2-5 year Book Size ISBN
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Reviews
Available worldwide from your local bookstore or online.
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What Book Next –
A wee kiwi gem.
Moultrie News –
A sweet fantasy reminiscent of classic books and fairytales about diminutive people.
The Independent and Free Press –
A simple story and good illustrations make The Tiny Woman’s Coat an entertaining book for young children.
Swings & Roundabouts –
This book celebrates resourcefulness, of living among nature and its resources, friendship, and the act of giving to others.
Reading Time – Children’s Book Council of Australia –
This is a book to be enjoyed and shared and which incidentally teaches valuable lessons about sharing, friendship, lending a helping hand and even on comparative sizing.
School Library Journal SLJ, 2021 Fantasy for Kids, 2021 Picture Book Read Alouds –
An ideal book to read aloud in the fall season. This book is a small delight from start to finish.
Seattle Book Review –
The storyline is straightforward, and the illustrations are marked with simplicity. However, those with sharp eyes and a quick mind will notice clues that have been incorporated on the preceding page as to what will come next.
Luminous Libro –
It’s such a simple story, but it has a powerful message.
Net Galley – Educator –
The repetition in the text would make this a soothing wind-down book and will also help early readers try out reading independently.
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast –
It’s a simple and pleasing story, and Clarkson’s relaxed-line illustrations are playful and expressive. Don’t let this quiet book pass you by.
The Spinoff –
This new picture book is very delicate and perfectly formed.
ReadPlus –
This is a lovely story of cooperation, of resourcefulness, of sharing and working together, of asking for help and finding it. Class will be encouraged to discuss size and shape, seasons of the year and above all resourcefulness and kindness as the little woman finds what she needs in the garden.
Kete Books –
It’s a simple yet charming poem, easy to read, guaranteed to raise a smile – but perhaps there’s a deeper truth underneath to muse on. Giselle Clarkson’s atmospheric illustrations add humour and whimsy.
The School Reading List –
Using lyrical and atmospheric rhyming verse, this highly illustrated story explores themes of sustainability, loyalty and ingenuity.
Book Trailers 4 Kids And YA –
Repetition, alliteration, and onomatopoeia add to the fun.
Poetry Box –
This beautiful book is comfort at its very best.
Red Reading Hub –
Simply constructed and written, Joy Cowley’s folksy story is sheer delight to share and also, with its repeat patterned text, ideal for beginning readers.
Kirkus Reviews –
An inventive and delightful tale that evokes Thumbelina, The Borrowers, and other beloved wee characters.
Youth Services Book Review –
Cowley’s text, first copyrighted in 1987, stands the test of time, and it could stand alone. Cowley’s is an effortless musicality: the tale has a quiet but effective refrain, and such rhymes as appear — even when they are familiar — are tried-and-true, rather than tired.