Whose Coat?

By John Luksetich and Illustrated by Patti Kern 

Often readers ask us if we can recommend any children's books that promote vegetarian/animal rights values. Whose Coat? is a children's book about clothing made from animal fur and skin and why it is ethically wrong.

Early on in the story the main character, Aurora, goes shopping for a winter coat. The store owner keeps showing her various coats made out of the fur and skin of different animals. Aurora keeps asking the store owner, "Doesn't the animal want her coat? Won't she get cold?" The store keeper keeps responding, "No," to her questions. Aurora, however, does not like his answer and refuses to buy a coat made from animals.

As the story proceeds, Aurora leaves the store and walks into the woods. Here, she comes upon the very animals whose skins and fur were used to make coats like she had seen. All of the animals say they are cold and wanted their "coat" back.

At the end of the story, Aurora and the various animals walk into the coat store. They tell the store owner they want their coats back. The store keeper then ducks under a desk and closes his eyes. Aurora notices the coats are all gone. The animals are also gone, and the store owner finally comes out. He has no coat on, he has no hair on his head, and he is now the one who is cold. Aurora asks the man if he wants his coat back. She tells the man to follow her into the woods where Aurora then tells all the animals that the store keeper wants his coat back. Slowly the animals hand him his coat, and he promises them, "I will never take another animal's coat again."

The last sentence in this book says, "Whose coat are you wearing?" My 5-year-old vegan son loved this story. Wouldn't it be great if this book were in the library of every elementary school?

Whose Coat? (ISBN 0-940411-02-4) is published by Imagine Nation Press, P.O. Box 172, Lakewood, CA 90714.