Do you ever wonder how things are made? The process, from start to finish, of an item coming into being can be particularly interesting in a bygone area. While A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert is about the process involved in making a wool coat, it is also about perseverance, resourcefulness, and sacrifice.
Anna has worn the same coat for many years, and she has outgrown it. A war has just ended and items are still scarce in the stores. Money is in short supply for everyone. But it is apparent that Anna will not be able to go through another winter with her old coat.
So her mother comes up with a plan. Because they do not have any money, Anna’s mother gathers up some of the nice things that they possess. They plan to barter. That is, they hope to exchange the items they currently own for the goods and services that they need.
Thus begins the lengthy pursuit of a new coat for Anna. Over the course of many months, Anna and her mother visit a sheep farmer, a spinner, a weaver, and a tailor. These individuals contribute their particular expertise to the process. And each step of the journey requires patience by Anna. The farmer only shears sheep in the spring. The spinner works slowly due to her stiff fingers. Anna and her mother need time to dye the yarn a pretty color. The weaver requires time to produce beautiful cloth, and the tailor must measure and cut and stitch.
In A New Coat for Anna, by Harriet Ziefert, we have the opportunity to see life at a time very different from our own. For most of us looking at life from a position of relative abundance, the resourcefulness and bartering required in this story gives a new perspective. In a world where things come to us almost instantly, it is good to see the lengthy process and sacrifice that Anna’s new coat required.