Summary: There was old tensions between Tippitt and Clancy because Tippitt's cow ruined Clancy's garden. Clancy came to ask Tippitt to mend his coat and Tippitt said yes, but that it would not change their friendship at all. Tippitt began thinking about how they used to be great friends and how he is quite lonely with his family gone. Tippitt forgot all about Clancy's coat until Clancy was at the door to pick it up, so Tippitt invited him in for tea. Tippitt began rushing around to finish the coat, but then forgot all about it again. This went on for a few more weeks and during the weeks Clancy and Tippitt saw a lot of each and began to rekindle their friendship. The coat was never finished, just like their friendship.

Review: Bunting's story about two old, grumpy men is quite funny to the ear and readers can learn about the central message of this story, which is that you can never be too old to fix a friendship. At the beginning of the story Bunting explains that Tippitt's cow completely ruined Clancy's garden and in the end their entire friendship. Throughout the story the readers can see that the friendship of the two old men begin to strengthen because Clancy needed his coat fixed. After the first time Clancy came back, Tippitt invited him in for tea and Clancy stayed to drink it. The next week Tippitt invited Clancy in for tea and bread, which Clancy said yes to. The tea turned into meals as the coat continued to go untouched and in the end the two old men were friends again. ( )

One of the books recommended by William Kreidler in Teaching Conflict Resolution Through Children's Literature.

“Clancy’s Coat” described to children that it is always important to mend a broken friendship. You cannot let your pride get in the way especially when it comes to your friendships. Clancy was upset that Tippitt’s cow ruined his garden, however he let that one mistake get in the way of their friendship. Tippitt learned that Clancy really cared about his garden and put a lot of work into it so he needed to be more understanding of why Clancy was so upset. Clancy’s coat allowed the two friends to realize that they were being ridiculous and that one incident should not ruin a whole friendship. They enjoyed each other’s company and were true friends. This really shows children that they need to forgive their friends when they make mistakes because friendships are very valuable. This book also shows that it is never too late to rekindle a friendship. Many people are scared to try and fix things after a fight but if you two were truly friends, you will be able to forgive one another. ( )