The Coat That Went To China

A Magical Tale that Might be Real This is a tale of two boys, Sam in Missouri and Ming in Beijing, who got hot during recess, took off their coats, and buried them behind a bush in the schoolyard. Magically, the coats zip through the earth and re-appear on the other side.

Fortunately, Sam finds Ming's address, written in Mandarin, in his coat pocket. With help from his neighbor's Chinese grandmother, Sam writes to Ming, and Ming writes back, (It is a time before email and texting were common.) The book follows the boys into adulthood. They tell the story of how they met to their children, who don't quite believe it. Do you?

"The Coat That Went To China" has humor and brightly colored, realistic illustrations. A class of kindergarteners loved it, as did my 10-year-old granddaughter, and adults as well.