The Coat

A true story from the childhood of President Heber J. Grant

Illustrations by Travis Deming, Heather Dixon, Eric Oliver, John Stratton

1. Young Heber J. Grant worked hard in his thin, worn jacket. His family was poor and didn’t have money to buy a new coat.

2. Heber’s mother surprised him when she gave him a new, warm winter coat. She had worked hard to sew it for him.

3. Heber thanked his mother and rushed out the door to play. His coat was so warm he hardly noticed the cold weather!

4. As Heber raced down the streets, something caught his eye as he ran past an alley.

5. Heber slowly peeked around the corner. He watched as a young boy in a thin, ragged sweater crouched in front of an exhaust grate to try to get warm.

6. Heber knew how cold that boy must be. He knew the boy needed help.

7. When Heber came home, his mother immediately noticed he was not wearing his coat.

“Heber, where is your coat?” she asked.

8. Heber told his mother that he gave the coat to the boy in the alley. He began to cry. He didn’t want his mother to be sad that he gave away the coat.

9. Heber’s mother was not sad. She hugged Heber. She was proud of him.