Taback, Simms. 1999. JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT.
New York, NY: Penguin. ISBN 9780670878553
Brief
Plot Summary:
Joseph has a tweed coat and a thrifty nature. When his coat wears out, he cuts it down to a
jacket. When the jacket wears out, he
cuts it down to a vest and the cycle continues until he’s left with a
button. When the button finally
disappears, he writes a book, proving that you can make something out of
nothing.
Critical
analysis: Joseph is a
creative, uncomplicated, pleasant character who continuously cuts down his coat
into a smaller article of clothing, proving the book’s theme that everything
has value and something can be made of nothing. The illustrations serve the story well as
the chaotic, sometimes jumbled, and always bright pictures give the reader a
good feel of the fast pace and passage of time as Joseph’s clothes wear
out. The illustrations describe a
European farming community, most likely Poland, based on the names on the books
and pictures in the pictures. Cultural
markers indicative of the European setting include the clothing styles and
patterns of the characters, as well as the facial hair of the men. The story’s repetitive elements (“Joseph had
a…”) keep the story moving and enable children to easily follow along.
Awards won:
The Caldecott Award (2000)
Review excerpts:
BOOKLIST:
Ages 4^-7. This
newly illustrated version of a book Taback first published in 1977 is a true
example of accomplished bookmaking--from the typography and the endpapers to
the bar code, set in what appears to be a patch of fabric. Taback's mixed-media
and collage illustrations are alive with warmth, humor, and humanity. Their
colors are festive yet controlled, and they are filled with homey clutter,
interesting characters, and a million details to bring children back again and
again. The simple text, which was adapted from the Yiddish song "I Had a
Little Overcoat," begins as Joseph makes a jacket from his old, worn coat.
When the jacket wears out, Joseph makes a vest, and so on, until he has only
enough to cover a button. Cut outs emphasize the use and reuse of the material
and add to the general sense of fun. When Joseph loses, he writes a story about
it all, bringing children to the moral "You can always make something out
of nothing." ((Reviewed January 1 & 15, 2000)) Copyright 2000 Booklist
Reviews
Horn Book:
In this newly
illustrated adaptation of a Yiddish folk song, die-cuts help tell the story of
resourceful Joseph, a farmer/tailor, who recycles his worn overcoat into
ever-smaller items. A mixture of painting and collage create a somewhat surreal
but delightful effect; details in the art make this a pageant of pre-WWII
Jewish-Polish life. Clever, humorous, visually engrossing, poignant, this
tribute to a vanished way of life is worth holding on to.Copyright 2000 Horn
Book Guide Reviews
Cahners:
Pre-Gr 3-A book
bursting at the seams with ingenuity and creative spirit. When Joseph's
overcoat becomes "old and worn," he snips off the patches and turns
it into a jacket. When his jacket is beyond repair, he makes a vest. Joseph
recycles his garments until he has nothing left. But by trading in his scissors
for a pen and paintbrush he creates a story, showing "you can always make
something out of nothing." Clever die-cut holes provide clues as to what
Joseph will make next: windowpanes in one scene become a scarf upon turning the
page. Striking gouache, watercolor, and collage illustrations are chock-full of
witty details-letters to read, proverbs on the walls, even a fiddler on the
roof. Taback adapted this tale from a Yiddish folk song and the music and
English lyrics are appended. The rhythm and repetition make it a perfect
storytime read-aloud.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
Connections:
Given the theme of “recycling”, there are many great
activities that relate to this book. The
following website has some great learning enrichment exercises, such as
vocabulary drills and Yiddish songs related to the culture.
And the activities on this Scholastic site:
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