This was one of my favorite books as a kid. I saw it recently at the library and had to take it home to re-read it. It's still a great story! :-) It details the story of a mother post WWII who doesn't have the money to buy her daughter Anna a new coat, so she creatively finds solutions to barter with a variety of people to have this coat made. It subtly teaches children about delayed gratification, a great message in this "we need it now and can have it now" society. It also stresses working hard for what you need and want.