What a sweet book! This was simple and beautiful. The message shows kids that even when things don't go as planned it doesn't have to ruin your day. My daughter and I read this together and she really enjoy it. Her favorite part was howling like a wolf.

Thanks to NorthSoutha and NetGalley for a sneak peek at the book.

A sweet, short story about a day a little girl and her teenage sister spend together. It's a hot day in the city. Then it rains and their plans for the zoo are dashed. The library is closed. So they play in the puddles, and ride in the subway, and go home. And they're together.

The drawings were lovely and full of sweet touches to discover with rereading.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance ebook in exchange for my honest review. I will purchase for my library.

A simple, but adorable story following a child’s adventure with her big sister. This book has beautiful illustrations and a cute story line. What a great book to read to siblings to enhance their relationship.

Big Sister, Long Coat is a cute picture book about sisters, and about making the most of ruined plans. The text is simple with only a few words per page, making it appropriate for the younger picture book crowd, probably toddlers to early elementary school age.

First off, the pictures in this book are wonderful. The drawings are almost childlike but in the best possible way – it's as if the young narrator drew the scenes from her outing with her sister. There are lots of animals added into the drawings, too – there's a lion and a cat and some dogs and a lemur, and they're all adorable. The colors are mostly grays and blues and deep reds, with the older sister's yellow raincoat providing a bright contrast to the wet day outside.

The setting is an unnamed city, and the drawings perfectly convey the story's urban location. There are tall buildings and subway trains and crowds of people.

The text is nothing terribly special – there are no rhymes or anything particularly poetic – but the message is a positive one. When rain ruins the two sisters' special day out, they make new plans and have a fantastic time anyway!

Overall rating: 3.7 stars, rounded up. If you have a little one who likes rainy day adventures (or adorable animals or special outings with loved ones), they'll likely enjoy this simple tale.

Many thanks to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

This is a lovely story about family and flexibility. When circumstances out of your control change (temperature, weather, store hours), the day can still be made fun by the people you’re with! Spending the day with an older sibling can be just what you need.

A little sister and her big sister want to spend the day together, but things don't turn out as planned. However, it turns out that sometimes, unexpected things can make a day great, too!

This was book felt like an ode to sisterhood, with a very simple text and lovely illustrations filled with small details to spot. It was very cute and touching.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author/illustrator for this copy.

How adorable is this book? A must read for anyone who loves (or is!) a big sister. The illustrations are fantastic.

What a lovely sibling story. In "Big Sister, Long Coat", two unnamed sisters are out on the town for the day—but not everything goes as planned.

The text here is spare and the illustrations simple, with muted colors, but they manage to convey quite a lot—even when the younger sister is unhappy with the situation, it's clear that she trusts her older sister as a source of comfort and is sure that her sister can somehow make it right. This is probably best suited to younger readers, but slightly older kids (especially older sisters!) might get a kick out of it as well. There's no lesson here, just a feel-good story (and, okay, a reminder that a day can be great even with unexpected changes in plans). Look out for fun little details, too, like an umbrella-toting mouse or an elephant peeking out from behind a curtain...

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

had so much fun reading this book, the story is so adorable and the illustrations were so well done and charming, there’s so many little details in every page that I couldn’t stop but be mesmerized by it all. I will definitely be recommending it! Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this early copy

Little sister gets to spend the day with her big sister, but nothing goes as planned.
Charming illustrations work in tandem with the written lines to tell a story of learning to dance in the rain. With a lesson of It's who you're with, not what you do that matters.
Thank you Nelly Buchet and North South Books for allowing me to read Big Sister, Long Coat in exchange for a honest review.

I wanted this to be more of a positive outlook, but it had a nice ending. I received an advance review copy for free via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The story doesn’t really coincide with the title, in my opinion. The story, while short, was lacking. It didn’t have a cohesive flow to it. I did appreciate the illustrations, though. They were well done.

Irma Black Award-winning author Nelly Buchet is back with yet another touching short story for kids. "Big Sister Long Coat" strives to instill the spirit of camaraderie and love amongst siblings. On a blisteringly hot day, two sisters embark on a day out. The hustle and bustle of the teeming crowds gets to the younger sibling and soon its pouring cats and dogs, courtesy a sudden turn in the weather.

Change of plans, more change of plans, a soggy experience and frustrations later, the duo head home. What should have been a splendid day in terms of an enjoyable outing turns into a damp squib. Or does it? What better way to enjoy the day even one characterised by searing hot weather and a crazy downpour, when you have your sister with you?

As Buchet confesses at the end of her story, she has also experienced days with her sisters when things have not gone exactly as envisaged. But at the end of the day, even a day gone wrong is fun in some way.

"Big Sister Long Coat" has some splendid illustration, courtesy Rachel Katstaller, a children's book illustrator originally from zEl Salvador, now based in the Austrian Alps.

"Big Sister Long Coat" is published by NorthSouthBooks Inc and will be available on sale beginning 5 March, 2024.

Thank you, Net Galley for the Advance Reviewer Copy!

An adorably illustrated book that reminds you that when your day doesn’t go as planned, come up with something different and make it better. Also, it doesn’t matter what happens when it happens with someone you love.

A sweet story of a day out in the city between sisters. The day doesn't go as expected but the older sister teaches the younger to take advantage of any change or unexpected event with a positive mindset turning a rainy day into the most fun day of all. There is always a great side to what seems an unlucky time. The artwork is simple design but effective with great contrast.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this e-ARC.

Beautiful, and colorful water color artwork. Easy to read for new readers. Easy page turner and particularly sweet for sisters to read together.

Big Sister, Long Coat is a heartwarming story about two sisters whose plans for the day go awry. From a closed library to melted ice cream, these two girls run through a city of beautiful illustrations in search of a new adventure, only to be left disappointed. However, despite the rain and setbacks, the girls persevere and refuse to let the bad weather dampen their spirits.

In my opinion, the story was very touching and served as a great reminder to maintain a positive attitude when facing challenging situations. The illustrations in the book were incredible, particularly the watercolor style used. However, while reading the PDF version, I noticed that the text placement on some pages seemed off. This may just be a fault of the digital version I viewed, and something that will change in publishing, but it did stick out to me.

Thank you NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for sending me a copy of this ebook for review. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars. I liked the illustrations and the idea of this book- sisters bonding when caught in the rain. I probably would change the title because I don’t think the long coat is a particularly memorable or central part of the story. Also, the narrative in this book is extremely lacking- lots of room for improvement. There is a sweet final sentiment, and it’s a quick picture book read perfect for a young girl with a sister.

This was such a pretty book. The illustrations are gorgeous!! I loved the story as well. It was great!

Decided to read some children’s books since my normal go to categories are offering not much in the way of good prose styling and
the gorgeous cookbooks that are the hallmark of Ten Speed and Chronicle are only available infrequently.. This was lovely both the story and illustrations brought back the joy of a childhood bedroom library and the pleasures of being read to. The story was lovely not a cautionary fable or the prose of wordplay just the joy of everyday reality and the call to think about how you want things to be vs the surprise of how
good a spontaneous day and all it’s change of plans can be.