The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Sneve, Virginia Driving Hawk

The Christmas Coat: Memories of My Sioux Childhood

32 pp. | Holiday | August, 2011 | Trade ISBN 978-0-8234-2134-3 $16.95

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Ellen Beier. It's a harsh winter in Virginia's Sioux village. When donated clothing arrives, Virginia (the Episcopal priest's daughter) gets last pick, and a flashy coat she covets goes to another girl. With its authentic portrait of a Sioux childhood and Christmas traditions (captured in watercolor and gouache illustrations) and its eventual happy ending, this is a quiet but affecting picture book.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2011