The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Oram, Hiawyn

The Wrong Overcoat

32 pp. | Carolrhoda | May, 2000 | Trade ISBN 1-57505-453-1 $$15.95

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Mark Birchall. Everyone loves Chimp's new purple overcoat, except for Chimp: it's too long, too hot, and too scratchy. So he works a trade with a kangaroo for a shorter, softer, yellow coat. Everyone hates it, except for Chimp. His happiness outweighs popular opinion as he beams that it's "the right coat for me." The type is difficult to read, but the bright, cartoonlike illustrations capture Chimp's individuality and self-confidence.

Reviewer: Charlotte S. Huck