The Coat
Written by Connie Korda
Illustrated by Middy Thomas
“As a coat passed on down life's been pleasing,
Especially when it's been freezing,
‘Cause I've kept those kids snug
As a bug in a rug,
To guard against coughing and sneezing.”
1. How did you come up with the concept of writing the book about a talking coat?
“Middy Thomas, a good friend of mine for almost 50 years, and I were driving back from visiting my mother in Delaware. Both of us are widowed with grown children and we have dipped into the creative arts – Middy into illustrating and portraiture and I into writing. We talked about writing a book and wanted to say something about sharing and recycling. The trip back to Maine took us ten hours because of a snowstorm so maybe that is why we thought of coats.
I am counselor and work with families, mainly about bereavement, but knowing kids and working with kids, I was thinking about upgrading the second hand coat. There is the Coats for Kids campaign in Maine and kids are encouraged to give their coats to this drive because coats are expensive and well made and they are good for another wearing. I wrote it from the perspective of a talking coat because it made it more personal.”
2. How did your work as a bereavement counselor impact the book?
Social workers are always into serving the needs of others. The sharing piece is really important – I wanted kids to realize they can help someone else in a big way by giving away something they love. It is also hard to get coats.
3. Have you personally distributed coats to children in need?
“I work at the Maine Medical Center. Very often, people come to the hospital by ambulance and they don't have a coat – they are very grateful.”
4. How can families connect with agencies that distribute coats?
The Salvation Army is a very good agency. In Maine the Coats for Kids is run through our local TV station. Coats for Kids is a national collection sometimes run through local TV stations. Families can also check with churches and local social services.
5. Do you have any advice to give people who do coat collections?
Yes, in our area, one of the dry cleaners cleans the coats free of charge. I would say partner with a local dry cleaner to clean the coats. Coats must be clean before they are given to someone else.
6. How can people obtain a copy of the book?
Local bookstores or Barnes and Noble stores can order the book, or people can contact the publisher:
Biddle Publishing Company
Audenreed Press
PMB 103, 13 Gurnet Rd.
Brunswick, ME 04011
This interview was conducted by telephone January 19, 2006.
Connie Korda is a mother of four grown children and is a licensed counselor working with grieving children and families in the greater Portland area. FamilyCares and Kids Care Clubs thank Connie for her poetry, and Middy Thomas for the beautiful illustrations in The Coat and especially for the encouraging message about the importance of sharing!
