A New Coat for Anna by Barbara Bush, Harriet Ziefert (1992, Audio Cassette)

Touted as a "real" story this book may be little more than a retelling with modifications of a previously published work, "Pelle's New Suit, A Picture Book by Elsa Beskow, Translated by Marion Letcher Woodburn, Harper & Brothers, New York Aproximately 1928-29. I have both books and find the two story lines to be almost identical. The names, genders, locations have been changed in the later published book about Anna, but otherwise the similarities are too close to be coincidental. In both stories a child is in need of a winter coat. In both books that coat is obtained by bartering and cooperation of friendly neighborhood persons. Pelle is a Swedish boy who borrows his sheeps wool caries it to his grandmother for spinning etc. Anna is a identified as European in a town damaged by the war. She too needs a coat and relies on trading for sheeps wool for her coat, depends on a grandmotherly type to spin the wool and finds other neighbors with whom to barter for the finished product. Both stories are delightful for children and having both books has allowed me to demonstrate the injustice of having an author's intellectual property lifted.

If it were not for the existence of the prior story this book would be a great addition to any child's library collection. However, having the earlier version and given the introduction as a "true" story may render it more likely a cautionary tale of what not to write.

This reviewer willingly admits having read Pelle's New Suit, definitely influnenced the opinion and evaluation of the second book, A New Coat For Anna.