JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT by Simms Taback

Bibliography

Taback, Simms. 1999. JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated. ISBN: 0670878553

Plot Summary

This story is about a man named Joseph who had an old, worn overcoat, instead of throwing it away, he decided to make a jacket out of it.  It too became old and worn, so he decided to make a vest out of the remaining fabric. Jospeh wears his new creations to different events.  Eventually each item becomes old and worn, so he continues to make smaller items such as a tie, handkerchief, and button.  Ultimately he runs out of fabric that originated from his overcoat, but still manages to make something out of nothing. Joseph writes a book about his experience with the overcoat.

Critical Analysis

The illustrations in this book are fun, vibrant, and colorful.  The book provides wonderful cutouts to illustrate the new creations made from Joseph's overcoat.  The repetition of phrases such as "old and worn" and "out of it" should make it easier for beginning readers. There are hidden messages within the pages in the background.  For example, one of the frames on the wall states, "Better to have an ugly patch than a beautiful hole."  It is fun to look for and find these messages throughout the book.  There also Jewish items and sayings throughout the book such as a menorah and the saying, "Mazel Tov" written on one of the frames.  The story is adapted from a Yiddish folksong called "I Had a Little Overcoat," and provides readers with the lesson "you can always make something out of nothing."

Review Excerpt(s)

2000 Caldecott Medal Winner

2000 American Library Association Notable Books for Children Winner

1999 National Jewish Book Award Winner

BOOKLIST review: "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." Tim Arnold

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY review: "As in his Caldecott Honor book, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Taback's inventive use of die-cut pages shows off his signature artwork, here newly created for his 1977 adaptation of a Yiddish folk song. This diverting, sequential story unravels as swiftly as the threads of Joseph's well-loved, patch-covered plaid coat. A flip of the page allows children to peek through to subsequent spreads as Joseph's tailoring produces items of decreasing size. The author puts a droll spin on his narrative when Joseph loses the last remnant of the coat button and decides to make a book about it. "Which shows... you can always make something out of nothing," writes Taback, who wryly slips himself into his story by depicting Joseph creating a dummy for the book that readers are holding. Still, it's the bustling mixed-media artwork, highlighted by the strategically placed die-cuts, that steals the show. Taback works into his folk art a menagerie of wide-eyed animals witnessing the overcoat's transformation, miniature photographs superimposed on paintings and some clever asides reproduced in small print (a wall hanging declares, "Better to have an ugly patch than a beautiful hole"; a newspaper headline announces, "Fiddler on Roof Falls off Roof"). With its effective repetition and an abundance of visual humor, this is tailor-made for reading aloud. All ages."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review: "Pre-Grade 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

Connections

• Multicultural - Jewish American
• Encourages creativity of recycling items to be used in other ways
• SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL suggests students create cut-outs of Joseph's garments as they retell the story, demonstrating their understanding of the central message and its key details.
• Children can sing the Yiddish fold song "I Had a Little Overcoat" which is included in the book.  The author, Taback Simms, noted this was his favorite song as a child and adapted the song to make JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT.

Other books by Simms Taback:

• Taback, Simms. 2011. POSTCARDS FROM CAMP. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated. ISBN: 9780399239731
• Taback, Simms. 1997. THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY. Ill. by Pam Adams. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated. ISBN: 9780670869398
• Taback, Simms. 2004. THIS IS THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated. ISBN: 9780142402009