Coat of Many Colors

by Dolly Parton

Overview

Winter is coming, and the air is getting cold. Mama knows that her little girl needs a coat, but there is no money to buy new clothes. Then a neighbor brings a box of rags, and mama begins to stitch them together. As she sews, she tells the story of Joseph, and how proudly he wore his coat of many colors. And so the little girl goes to school, happily wearing her rainbow-colored coat.

When her classmates see the coat, they laugh. But instead of feeling sorry for herself, the girl feels sorry for them. They can't understand that she is rich - because her coat is filled with her mama's love.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/03/2007
Label:	Bmg / Sony Music / Sony Music Distribution
UPC:	0886977089824
Rank:	5822

Tracks

1. Coat of Many Colors
2. Traveling Man
3. My Blue Tears
4. If I Lose My Mind
5. The Mystery of the Mystery
6. She Never Met a Man (She Didn't Like)
7. Early Morning Breeze
8. The Way I See You
9. Here I Am
10. A Better Place to Live
11. My Heart Started Breaking
12. Just as Good as Gone
13. The Tender Touch of Love
14. My Blue Tears

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dolly Parton   Primary Artist,Vocals,Lead Vocals
George McCormick   Guitar
Mack Magaha   Fiddle
Pete Drake   Guitar (Steel)
The Nashville Edition   Vocals (Background)
Buddy Spicher   Fiddle
Dave Kirby   Guitar
Buck Trent   Electric Banjo
Bobby Dyson   Bass
Billy Sanford   Guitar
Jerry Carrigan   Drums
Hargus "Pig" Robbins   Piano
Johnny Gimble   Fiddle
David Briggs   Piano
Jerry Shook   Guitar

Technical Credits

Dolly Parton   Composer
Ed Osborne   Project Coordinator
Robin Manning   Project Coordinator
Porter Wagoner   Composer
Mike Ragogna   Reissue Producer
Al Pachucki   Engineer
Elliott Federman   Mastering
Robyn Flans   Liner Notes
Bruce Pollock   Project Coordinator
Bob Ferguson   Producer
Arlessa Barnes   Project Coordinator
David Richman   Redesign
Felicia Gearhart   Project Coordinator
Roy Shockley   Recording Technician
Laura Gregory   Project Coordinator
Robin Diamond   Project Coordinator
Steve Strauss   Project Coordinator
Glenn Delgado   Project Coordinator
Les Leverett   Photography
Dean Romanelli   Project Coordinator
Lisa Butler   Project Coordinator
Brooke Nochomson   Project Coordinator
Dana Renert   Project Coordinator
Catherine Seligman   Project Coordinator
Christina DeSimone   Project Coordinator
Larry Parra   Project Coordinator
Jeremy Holiday   Production Coordination

Editorial Reviews

01/01/2017
PreS-Gr 2—Country singer/songwriter Parton has, with illustrator Boynton-Hughes, turned her famous song "Coat of Many Colors" into a delightful and evocative picture book. Dolly grew up in rural Tennessee, where love was plentiful but money was scarce. Her mother was given a box of fabric scraps, but with winter coming, Dolly needed a coat. So as the song relates, Dolly's mother pieced together the scraps and made her daughter a "coat of many colors." As she sewed, she told Dolly the Bible story of Joseph's coat of many colors. Of course, Dolly's schoolmates didn't see her coat as special, and they laughed and made fun of her. Parton tells readers that the hurt did not go away until, as an adult, she sat down and wrote this song. This title reminds children that bullying hurts and doesn't help anyone. Boynton-Hughes presents Dolly as a blonde, curly-haired moppet, so happy to be wearing her multihued coat. The bright fall colors give the book vibrancy. The illustrations also depict the love that was abundant in the Parton family. VERDICT A significant addition to both school and public libraries.—Elaine Lesh Morgan, formerly at Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

School Library Journal

Aug. 30, 2016
A patchwork coat created from a box of donated rags is a deeply felt memory from the author’s childhood.The incident evidently had a profound effect, as it led to a song, written in 1971, and a TV movie in 2015. Here, the text is made up entirely of the song’s lyrics. Parton recalls when she had “patches on her britches” and no warm coat. Her mother lovingly creates a patchwork coat while retelling the Bible story of Joseph and his coat of many colors. The little blonde, white girl gratefully and proudly heads off for school, where she is met with jeers and derision. She tries to explain the love and sense of richness she feels, to no avail. Boynton-Hughes’ brightly hued pen-and-ink–and-watercolor illustrations follow the action carefully but are a bit too pretty to convey poverty. The home seems warm and comfortable if old-fashioned, and the other children in the family don’t have patched clothing. There are brown-skinned and white schoolchildren all taking part in the event; this may appeal to modern readers, but it doesn't ring true for early-1950s rural Tennessee, where school segregation was statutory. In an author’s note Parton exhorts young readers, bullies and victims alike, to have understanding hearts and find comfort in knowing that hurts can heal. Tender and heartfelt with a loving message—if a little sanitized. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Review