Mom’s

Red Coat

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Mom’s Red Coat
Illustrated by Brad Cuzen
Written by Chrissie Kritzinger
Designed by Meerashen Naidoo
Edited by Zanri Kritzinger
with the help of the Book Dash participants in Durban on 29 October 2022.
ISBN: 978-1-776325-25-2
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). You are free to share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) this work for any purpose, even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the following license terms:
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Chrissie Kritzinger
Brad Cuzen
Meerashen Naidoo

I love Mom’s coat!

It’s red and long and warm.
And it smells like Mom!

I love doing things with Mom!

We picnic outside.

We work in the garden.

She hugs me when  I come home from school.

At night, she holds me tight until I fall asleep.

‘Good news!’
says Mom.
‘I found a job! I will be away all week, but I’ll come home on weekends!’

‘Who will hold me at night, Mom?’

‘Who will hug me,
picnic with me,
garden with me?’

‘I can see that you are sad.
I will leave my red coat here with you.’

‘When you see it, remember that
I love you
and I’m coming back.’

I drag the red coat outside – it’s my  picnic blanket!

It feels like Mom is with me.

Oops! Juice spill!

I am sad that Mom’s not waiting at the door when I come home.
I put on her coat.

It’s warm and it smells like her. It feels like a hug!

Oops! Paint!

I help Gogo in the garden.

The long coat on the branch scares  away the chickens!

It feels like Mom is gardening with us.

Oops! Mud!

When it’s dark, I miss Mom most.
Gogo covers me with her warm coat.
It feels like Mom is holding me as I fall asleep.

Oops!  Cookie crumbs!

Mom’s red
coat is warm
and smells like…

paint,

juice,

mud

and cookie crumbs!

Oops!  We need to wash it!

The wind blows the red coat off the washing line...

up into the air!

It flies over the fence!

It flies over the taxi!

Oops!  Who did  the coat fall on?

I run and grab it!

‘Found you, coat!’

The red coat smells like Mom again.

‘Oh!’ ‘Found you,
Mom! You’re back!’