Book Review-- The Green Coat

My children love to be read to. Ever since they were little, each of them has enjoyed sitting near me as I share the joy of wonderful stories and the bond of spending time together.  So, it is not surprising that read-alouds are an integral part of our home schooling.  We often start our school day by listening to devotional stories.  We read our science book aloud together. And we search for great books for history that make the subject come alive.

But, our favorite read-alouds are our literature selections.  For literature, we try to choose well-written books with enjoyable story lines and positive messages.  Our literature stories do not have to be classics (though fairly often they are).   Instead, what is most important is that our shared literature books capture our attention and inspire us to be better people.  

Sometimes we choose the right books and my children beg me to read "one more chapter" before moving on to other school work.  Upon occasion, we have chosen wrong and have struggled to even get through a book.

After hearing about The Green Coat by Rosemary McDunn, I felt certain it would make for a great family read-loud.  It is sub-titled "A Tale from the Dust Bowl Years" and would work well as a supplement to a history unit on the 1930's, but we decided to read it for literature since we are not studying American History this year. 

The story of young Tressa and her family's struggle in the midst of the dust bowl era did capture our attention.  My children and I could all relate to Tressa's feelings of hopelessness as she is sent away to work for strangers while her parents attempt to get back on their feet after losing their farm.  We felt for Tressa in her loneliness and rejoiced with her when she eventually found a treasured friend.  The book was easy to read, well written, and filled with beautiful descriptive language.  Through the story, McDunn clearly weaves the message of perseverance,acceptance, and trust in God's plan.  She portrays Tressa's emotional growth and social maturing in a poignant and moving way.

We found "The Green Coat" to be a nice story.  It was perfect for multiple ages and enjoyed by both my children and me.  Though it does not stand out as one of our all time favorites and there were very few days, over the weeks we spent reading it, that the children asked for "one more chapter", overall it was a sweet and endearing tale.

You can purchase this book here.  I wrote this review for the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for Baptism Gifts and First Communion Gifts. For more information and to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods.
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