Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Posthuma's (What Ollie Saw) "always cold" protagonist has long been resigned to a solitary life: "He never had any visitors. His house was so boiling hot, no one else could stand it." On an elaborate quest to feel warmer, he buys and dons a multitude of coats and blankets, in the process turning into a huge mountain of insulation (his tiny, red-capped head pokes through the top like the cherry on a sundae). The layers make it impossible for him to get back inside his house. Among the crowd of people that gathers to gawk at despondent Mr. Coats is someone who's seen this before; he transports Mr. Coats to Mrs. Coats, a lady who is similarly enrobed. Finding their common interest in "electric blankets, hot water bottles, earmuffs, cups of hot chocolate, sun lamps, fur-lined boots," the two quickly discover that the warmth of companionship was what they were seeking all along. Matter-of-fact prose and vividly patterned ink and cut-paper drawings (the latter striking a balance between R.O. Blechman and Daniel Pinkwater) offer an elegant fable on the power of connection--and the perils of over-layering. Primary characters read as white. Ages 4--8. (Aug.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 4--Profoundly, unseasonably, incurably cold, Mr. Coats tries everything--blankets, stoves, hot-water bottles--to no avail. Piling coat over vibrant coat, he becomes too wide to pass through his own door, and instead camps inside his many layers, building a fire "between his coattails." One day, now famous, he is hoisted by crane onto a flatbed truck and taken to another town, where a woman peeks out from amidst her own heap of outerwear. The two find much to talk about, and soon discover to their surprise that they are warming up from the inside. Mr. and Mrs. Coats peel down to a mere two coats, his and hers, hanging side by side in the house they now share. The palette hints at the possibility of warmth from the start, especially in the small red bird who accompanies Mr. Coats everywhere, while the garments burst with hot colors and varied patterns. In Posthuma's quirky naïve illustration style, Mr. and Mrs. Coats are doll-like figures who seem made for each other. VERDICT Like Sheila Moore's classic Samson Svenson's Baby, this story proves there is a lid for every pot, and even young children will warm to the story of love thawing two chilly people.--Patricia Lothrop
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Review by Horn Book Review
Mr. Coats feels the cold. He stays indoors, huddled next to the fire in all seasons. He's lonely. He thinks of a solution, then ventures out to buy three thick coats and puts them all on at once. He's still cold. He buys twelve more coats. Still cold. He puts on coats and more coats until he is so bulky he cannot get through his doorway and ends up living outside in his yurt-shaped coat-house, sleeves functioning as stovepipes. Not until a kind neighbor match-makes him with another coat-house dweller in a nearby town does Mr. Coats realize two life lessons: there's somebody for everybody, and love keeps you warm from the inside out. Good conversation helps, too. "Mrs. Coats and Mr. Coats had a lot to talk about: electric blankets, hot water bottles, earmuffs, cups of hot chocolate, sun lamps, fur-lined boots..." This wry, absurdist tall tale provides a wonderful canvas for wild fabric patterns as Posthuma layers checks upon stripes upon tartans in a wild collage of color. Originally published in the Netherlands in 2006, the story travels well across the ocean to a new generation of readers. Sarah Ellis September/October 2022 p.68(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this quirky Dutch import, a man searches for a way to get warm. Mr. Coats is endlessly cold. He lives in a house with many stoves and surrounds himself with piles and piles of electric blankets. He has hot water bottles and heat lamps, to no avail. His house is so scorching that no one ever visits. But Mr. Coats still shivers. So he goes to the shops for more supplies. When he returns home, he has so many coats layered one on top of the other that he can no longer fit through his front door! His coats form a comically large bell shape, each color peeking out from underneath the next, with just enough room for his head at the top. So Mr. Coats does the only thing he can do--he turns his coats into his new home. A warming fire puffs out smoke from the sleeves. But can he live that way forever? Luckily there just might be a special friend who is able to warm his heart. The cheery patterns of the various coats and the fancifully shaped hats that most townsfolk wear add levity to Mr. Coats' plight. Mr. Coats and others all have paper-white skin, which takes on the color of the background at times. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Delightfully odd and steadfast in the warming power of love. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
