MR. COATS

In this quirky Dutch import, a man searches for a way to get warm.

Mr. Coats is endlessly cold. He lives in a house with many stoves and surrounds himself with piles and piles of electric blankets. He has hot water bottles and heat lamps, to no avail. His house is so scorching that no one ever visits. But Mr. Coats still shivers. So he goes to the shops for more supplies. When he returns home, he has so many coats layered one on top of the other that he can no longer fit through his front door! His coats form a comically large bell shape, each color peeking out from underneath the next, with just enough room for his head at the top. So Mr. Coats does the only thing he can do—he turns his coats into his new home. A warming fire puffs out smoke from the sleeves. But can he live that way forever? Luckily there just might be a special friend who is able to warm his heart. The cheery patterns of the various coats and the fancifully shaped hats that most townsfolk wear add levity to Mr. Coats’ plight. Mr. Coats and others all have paper-white skin, which takes on the color of the background at times. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Delightfully odd and steadfast in the warming power of love.