The Little Green Jacket Book Review

 

                                                       Available on Amazon

Author: Jodi Dee

Illustrator and co-illustrator: Jodi Dee and Steve Goad

Publisher: Jodi Dee

Released: April 22, 2020

Format: Kindle, hardcover

ISBN: 9780998527743

Reviewer: Ellwyn Autumn

Rating: 4 Lemon Drops

Review:

Summary:

The Little Green Jacket tracks the journey of one little jacket as it travels from one youngster to another through donations, hand-me-downs, and secondhand stores.

Its tale begins on Christmas day when a boy named Mike receives it as a gift. The Little Green Jacket and Mike have fun together until Mike outgrows the coat and his family donates it to a youth group.

The next child to wear the jacket is Diego, followed by Vanessa and her younger brother Austin. Austin gives The Little Green Jacket to Planet Aid, after hearing about a disastrous storm on the other side of the world. Planet Aid delivers the jacket; a woman finds it and gives it to her daughter.

Opinion:

The Little Green Jacket introduces kids to the timeless messages of sharing and recycling. Not only did giving to others keep The Little Green Jacket from a landfill, but it also showed the benefits of giving to those in need.

Together with the black and white illustrations, I appreciated the vivid green color of the jacket. Throughout the entire story, the jacket pops off the page. Not only does this emphasize the jacket’s importance; it encourages young pre-readers to focus their attention on a distinct spot on the page.

This is a great way to help children distinguish pictures from print and reinforces that both elements tell the story. Good readers use pictures and print to help them think about what is happening in a story.

There is also a Seek and Find of the recycling symbol for children to locate throughout the book that strengthens this skill as well.

Another feature I appreciated was The Little Green Jacket’s inner dialogue. Written in matching green ink, the jacket’s reflections carry the story along and remind us who the tale is mostly about. While there are many characters in the story, The Little Green Jacket is the principal character.

There is also a multi-cultural theme incorporated into the story. From white, to brown, to black, The Little Green Jacket hugs and warms various children, reminding us that love is universal. Through the ‘eyes’ of the jacket, we hear other languages and travel from a rural farm in the United States to a storm ravaged community on the other side of the world.

Another marvelous thing about this book and its altruistic author is that 10% of net profits of each book sold will be donated to Planet Aid. Ms. Dee truly practices what she preaches.

I give it 4 Lemon Drops!

Classroom Connection:

Vocabulary: precision, journey, afar, patiently, sulked, garments, textiles, recycled, thrift store, organize, embrace, universal

Spanish words: mira, gracias, de nada, papi, abuela, manana, de arte,

The Little Green Jacket is a superb story to use when introducing the concepts of recycling and donations. After a read aloud of the book, children can help organize a coat drive for the school.

They can put their writing skills to use by designing posters and sending letters to people in the community asking for donations.

It goes without saying the book belongs in a classroom library as well as a creative writing lesson. The last line in the book has an excellent prompt to get students’ creative juices flowing, “What is your jacket’s story?”