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Joseph Had a Little OvercoatJOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT by Taback, Simms (Author) on Oct-01-1999 Hardcover
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Taback,Simms. [1999] Hardcover
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1977
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About the author
Simms Taback
83 books63 followersSimms Taback was an American writer, graphic artist, and illustrator of more than 35 books. He won the 2000 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration, recognizing Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, and was a runner-up in 1998 for There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,397 reviews
February 12, 2019
I love books with cutouts in them and this is done very well. The cutout is only for Joseph’s coat and every other page it gets smaller as the coat gets older. I wonder how it would keep getting smaller, and the author does a great job shrinking that down.
The artwork is interesting. It is watercolor and Gouache, pencil, ink and most of all collage. It’s a nice mixed media piece. This was made from an old song and Simms put new words to it. It’s for youngsters and it has a nice rhythm.
The kids enjoyed this. The nephew still enjoys anything tactile so he had to feel the opening of each page. He gave this 4 stars and the niece gave it 4 stars too.
The artwork is interesting. It is watercolor and Gouache, pencil, ink and most of all collage. It’s a nice mixed media piece. This was made from an old song and Simms put new words to it. It’s for youngsters and it has a nice rhythm.
The kids enjoyed this. The nephew still enjoys anything tactile so he had to feel the opening of each page. He gave this 4 stars and the niece gave it 4 stars too.
January 19, 2021
Based on a traditional Yiddish folksong (the lyrics and musical score of which are, in fact, featured on the last or rather the second to last page, much appreciated, although I would prefer to have both the English and the Yiddish lyrics included), Simms Taback's Joseph Had a Little Overcoat presents a totally and utterly magical marriage of text and image (I can more than well understand why and how this gem of a picture book was awarded the Caldecott Medal, as the illustrations are a true feast for the eyes, bright, lively, intensely descriptive and absolutely teeming with details and delightful fun).
Joseph's beloved but worn and patched overcoat gets recycled and reused over and over again, and by necessity of course becomes ever smaller and smaller (but still always purposeful), and finally ends its existence as a button. However, even then (after Joseph has lost this button), with the sweet and added moral that one can also and even make something out of nothing, the story of the little overcoat continues and is finally transformed into a book (namely this very book, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat). One of the final illustrative spreads shows Joseph (who more than likely represents Simms Taback himself) now drawing and creating his book, a sweet and fun account regarding the life and times of the little overcoat (an addition to the original song, a much more positive ending, as the Yiddish folksong just terminates with the button's loss).
Although Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is simply and sweetly fun and a great moral for everyone, both children and adults, personally, what makes this picture book offering glow and shine so very brightly (and with a well deserved five star rating) are the many Yiddish and Eastern European Jewish added cultural touches (the dual language Hebrew/English newspapers and books, the fun and evocative allusions to Fiddler on the Roof, the menorahs, traditional outfits/garbs, and the clearly Eastern European inspired dance steps at the wedding of Joseph's nephew). I also much appreciate the fact that Joseph's prayer shawl (or scarf as described in Joseph Had a Little Overcoat) is therefore clearly handmade by him (a refurbished garment made with love and worn with love), and in my humble opinion thus praising God with inventiveness and clearly demonstrating that recycled clothes are not only just as useful but also often as potentially special and as well beloved as new or newer garments. Highly recommended and much fun!
Joseph's beloved but worn and patched overcoat gets recycled and reused over and over again, and by necessity of course becomes ever smaller and smaller (but still always purposeful), and finally ends its existence as a button. However, even then (after Joseph has lost this button), with the sweet and added moral that one can also and even make something out of nothing, the story of the little overcoat continues and is finally transformed into a book (namely this very book, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat). One of the final illustrative spreads shows Joseph (who more than likely represents Simms Taback himself) now drawing and creating his book, a sweet and fun account regarding the life and times of the little overcoat (an addition to the original song, a much more positive ending, as the Yiddish folksong just terminates with the button's loss).
Although Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is simply and sweetly fun and a great moral for everyone, both children and adults, personally, what makes this picture book offering glow and shine so very brightly (and with a well deserved five star rating) are the many Yiddish and Eastern European Jewish added cultural touches (the dual language Hebrew/English newspapers and books, the fun and evocative allusions to Fiddler on the Roof, the menorahs, traditional outfits/garbs, and the clearly Eastern European inspired dance steps at the wedding of Joseph's nephew). I also much appreciate the fact that Joseph's prayer shawl (or scarf as described in Joseph Had a Little Overcoat) is therefore clearly handmade by him (a refurbished garment made with love and worn with love), and in my humble opinion thus praising God with inventiveness and clearly demonstrating that recycled clothes are not only just as useful but also often as potentially special and as well beloved as new or newer garments. Highly recommended and much fun!
October 12, 2014
Joseph had a little overcoat (not sure in what sense an overcoat can be "little" -- Joseph appears to be a normal-sized man); it gets too patched and worn so he cuts it down into a jacket. When the jacket gets to frayed he makes it a vest, etc until there is nothing left. From his house, Joseph doesn't look excruciatingly poor; not sure why he can't buy a new coat.
I see from the end note that this is a song. Maybe had I grown up with this verse it would have been more appealing to me. My favorite element was the backgrounds of the illustrations, especially the photos and postcards decorating the home.
I see from the end note that this is a song. Maybe had I grown up with this verse it would have been more appealing to me. My favorite element was the backgrounds of the illustrations, especially the photos and postcards decorating the home.
August 25, 2013
After reading Simms Taback’s version of “There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,” I thought that there would never be another die-cut formatted folk song book, but I have just recently read another folk song book called “Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.” “Joseph Had a Little Overcoat” is a Caldecott Medal award-winning book by Simms Taback and it is about how a man named Joseph had an old overcoat and decided to make it into something new. “Joseph Had a Little Overcoat” is definitely a children’s book worth reading to children everywhere!
Since this book is told in a folk verse, I will just recite part of the verse:
“Joseph had a little overcoat. It was old and worn. So he made a jacket out of it and went to the fair.
Joseph had a little jacket. It got old and worn. So he made a vest out of it and danced at his nephew’s wedding.”
Wow! This book was so amazing that I had to read this book so many times! Simms Taback has done a great job at both illustrating and writing this book as both the folk verse and the illustrations are creative at the same time! Simms Taback’s retelling of this classic Yiddish folk song is creative and inventive as every time Joseph has old clothing, he turns it into something new, which shows what a resourceful and creative character he is. I really loved the message of this book as it convinces readers that you can always make something new out of something old, which also shows children the importance of preserving old items to use for good use. Simms Taback’s illustrations are extremely colorful and creative, especially the die-cut format of the story, which is where Simms Taback cuts out shapes of Joseph’s clothing on the right side of the page and when the reader turns the page, the die-cut portion of the page reveals new clothing that Joseph made from his old clothing on the previous page. I also loved the way that Simms Taback pasted various realistic photos on his drawings as they made the illustrations in this book somewhat surreal yet creative at the same time, since it is not every day that you see real-life photos collide with cartoonish illustrations. My most favorite image in this book was the image of Joseph himself as he has the same appearance of the author himself and he is always shown in a shaggy short beard, blue patched up pants and a yellow shirt.
Overall, “Joseph Had a Little Overcoat” is one creative and hilarious book that children will sing along with for many, many years to come! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book for smaller children.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
February 20, 2019
Joseph teaches us the value of recycling, i.e how an old overcoat full of holes can end up being a button.
The story is inspired by a yiddish folk song which I have never heard before (the author provides the english lyrics in the end of the book.
The story is cute, the song sounds cute.
Overall a very pleasant experience and very educational for the children. The vibrant colours of the illustrations are also a plus.
The story is inspired by a yiddish folk song which I have never heard before (the author provides the english lyrics in the end of the book.
The story is cute, the song sounds cute.
Overall a very pleasant experience and very educational for the children. The vibrant colours of the illustrations are also a plus.
February 5, 2017
I think this is a great story and really loved the message of making over what is old and worn-out into something new and useful. (And the final message was a good one, too!) I thought the cut-outs were such a clever and fun way to show the updates to the clothing. It felt like a rich, warm book and the cultural elements seemed very special. I'm afraid I am not knowledgeable enough to fully appreciate all of the nuances of what is included in the illustrations, but even so I could chuckle at some of them (like the "Fiddler on the Roof" references). I also loved the back cover with all the vintage buttons!
June 21, 2013
A Caldecott award winner and deservedly so, the pictures alone would probably have done it. Unusual illustrations coupled with some cutout pages with pictures of the overcoat behind, it made for an interesting tale of making something out of nothing. Also a good lesson, and the note from the author at the end of the book, coupled with the actual sheet music of the Yiddish Folk Song made it a winner in my book.
March 18, 2020
Based upon a Yiddish song, Hob Ich Mir a Mantl ("I Had a Little Overcoat"), which author Simms Taback loved as a young boy, this Caldecott Medal winning picture-book tells the story of Joseph, a shtetl-dwelling man who wears his beloved overcoat to tatters. Undaunted by this catastrophe, he transforms his coat into a shorter jacket, and - when that in turn is worn and tattered - into a vest. And so it goes, as Joseph's erstwhile overcoat becomes smaller and smaller, until he has nothing. But (and here's the moral promised on the title page), "you can always make something out of nothing..."
I enjoyed Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, which apparently first saw print in 1977, with different illustrations, and think the zany mixed media artwork - done in watercolor, gouache, pencil, ink and collage - was creative and attention-grabbing. Certainly, I can see why it won Taback the Caldecott! I also enjoyed many of the little visual references to aspects of eastern European Jewish culture - the little tributes to Sholem Aleichem, the letters written in Hebrew (or in Yiddish, using the Hebrew syllabary) - and appreciated the fact that the song which provided the inspiration for this story was included at the rear, in English translation. All in all, a most engaging book, with a fun story (AND a moral!), and entertaining artwork.
I enjoyed Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, which apparently first saw print in 1977, with different illustrations, and think the zany mixed media artwork - done in watercolor, gouache, pencil, ink and collage - was creative and attention-grabbing. Certainly, I can see why it won Taback the Caldecott! I also enjoyed many of the little visual references to aspects of eastern European Jewish culture - the little tributes to Sholem Aleichem, the letters written in Hebrew (or in Yiddish, using the Hebrew syllabary) - and appreciated the fact that the song which provided the inspiration for this story was included at the rear, in English translation. All in all, a most engaging book, with a fun story (AND a moral!), and entertaining artwork.
July 17, 2021
2000 Caldecott
A very colorful book kids will love. A very unique book based on a yiddish song (in the back - notes, cords, lyrics). The overcoat gets worn out, so cut off the worn part to salvage a jacket. Then a vest, then tie, then button. Every-other-page in the book has the pattern cut out yet hidden. When you turn the page, you see the object in the color of the original Overcoat.
It has a great ending with a moral: you can always make something out of nothing.
Kids are sure to love this.
I note that my library has this as a book on CD. Why? Caldecott winners MUST be seen!
I kind-of want to check it out to see how they sell it. Maybe the CD actually has a PDF file that launches.
A very colorful book kids will love. A very unique book based on a yiddish song (in the back - notes, cords, lyrics). The overcoat gets worn out, so cut off the worn part to salvage a jacket. Then a vest, then tie, then button. Every-other-page in the book has the pattern cut out yet hidden. When you turn the page, you see the object in the color of the original Overcoat.
It has a great ending with a moral: you can always make something out of nothing.
Kids are sure to love this.
I note that my library has this as a book on CD. Why? Caldecott winners MUST be seen!
I kind-of want to check it out to see how they sell it. Maybe the CD actually has a PDF file that launches.
September 25, 2017
This picture book was inspired by a yiddish folk song. It was about how Jospeh's coat was old and worn out but he always made something new out of the material.
June 22, 2022
Its a pretty good book i highly recommend it if you like this kind of books.
October 27, 2008
A colorful, fun-filled story based on a Yiddish folksong, about a resourceful man named Joseph, who makes new things out of his old clothes.
Intended age group: 5-8
It was a mistake to read this book with a migraine, since each page in this book is a kaleidoscopic shower of color--buttons, scraps of cloth, patterns on clothing, tiny photographs of vegetables and flowers, all on a contrasting dark background. Under normal circumstances, however, the story is a delightful fantasy about a man in an idealized Jewish shtedl, whose overcoat wears out, so he sews it into a jacket. The jacket gets frayed, so he makes himself a vest, and so on, until he is left with a mere button, which gets lost. Ever resourceful, he writes a book about it, the moral being that "you can always make something out of nothing." Joseph's colorful surroundings are not only peppered with everyday objects, but also Jewish folk sayings and jokes--adding interest for adults reading the book aloud.
From the title, I had thought this book would be based on the biblical story of Joseph, which it isn't. Instead, it is based on a Yiddish song: I had a little overcoat, or Hob ich mir a mantl, the words and music of which are printed in the back of the book. A brief Internet search yielded the tune of the song, which is quite catchy; reading the book aloud in conjunction with teaching children the song might make an enjoyable storytime or classroom activity for a small group. Additional interactive features of the book are the cutout pictures anticipating the next smaller item of clothing Joseph will make, and the predictable repetitive narration, in which children could easily join. In spite of the creative presentation and humor, my gut feeling is that this book might actually be more amusing for adults than children, because the story is about a bearded middle aged man rather than a child.
Reviewers in Publisher's Weekly (11/1/99) and School Library Journal (Jan, 2000) agreed that the book was "tailor-made" (groan) for reading aloud. Both reviews were primarily descriptive but expressed admiration for the repetition of the story, the colorful artwork, the cutout pictures, and the witty sayings on the walls of Joseph's house.
Intended age group: 5-8
It was a mistake to read this book with a migraine, since each page in this book is a kaleidoscopic shower of color--buttons, scraps of cloth, patterns on clothing, tiny photographs of vegetables and flowers, all on a contrasting dark background. Under normal circumstances, however, the story is a delightful fantasy about a man in an idealized Jewish shtedl, whose overcoat wears out, so he sews it into a jacket. The jacket gets frayed, so he makes himself a vest, and so on, until he is left with a mere button, which gets lost. Ever resourceful, he writes a book about it, the moral being that "you can always make something out of nothing." Joseph's colorful surroundings are not only peppered with everyday objects, but also Jewish folk sayings and jokes--adding interest for adults reading the book aloud.
From the title, I had thought this book would be based on the biblical story of Joseph, which it isn't. Instead, it is based on a Yiddish song: I had a little overcoat, or Hob ich mir a mantl, the words and music of which are printed in the back of the book. A brief Internet search yielded the tune of the song, which is quite catchy; reading the book aloud in conjunction with teaching children the song might make an enjoyable storytime or classroom activity for a small group. Additional interactive features of the book are the cutout pictures anticipating the next smaller item of clothing Joseph will make, and the predictable repetitive narration, in which children could easily join. In spite of the creative presentation and humor, my gut feeling is that this book might actually be more amusing for adults than children, because the story is about a bearded middle aged man rather than a child.
Reviewers in Publisher's Weekly (11/1/99) and School Library Journal (Jan, 2000) agreed that the book was "tailor-made" (groan) for reading aloud. Both reviews were primarily descriptive but expressed admiration for the repetition of the story, the colorful artwork, the cutout pictures, and the witty sayings on the walls of Joseph's house.
April 27, 2010
Are your kids a tad materialistic? Do they want every toy they see? Do they just assume anything they break will be replaced by you? Call me a sucker, but I drove to two stores last night looking for a Lego Indiana Jones set so that my son could take one of the 2" tall figures to school and play with a classmate. Go ahead, call me a sucker; my husband did.
Thinking on last night reminded me of Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, a 2000 Caldecott Medal winner by Simms Taback that teaches the virtues of thrift and being happy with what you have. Or as Simms sums it up: "You can always make something out of nothing." He adapted the story from a Yiddish folk song he sang as a child.
In what appears to be a turn-of-the-century Jewish village, Joseph is wearing a worn overcoat with patches holding it together. Did he throw it in the trash bin and head to town to buy a new one? No! He made a jacket out of it and went to the fair, where he had a blast. Before long "Joseph had a little jacket. It got old and worn./So he made a vest out of it and danced at his nephew's wedding." And so the frugality begins. I won't give away any more of the story. It's fun to see what Joseph turns the increasingly more worn and shrinking item into.
What's unique about this book is that every few pages is die-cut, which means that there is a space cut out of the page large enough to fit whatever new piece of clothing Joseph makes. The die-cuts get smaller as the pages are turned. There is lots going on in every scene to keep your child on his toes: friends peaking into a window; an old man asleep while singing in the choir; funny newspaper headlines like "Fiddler on the Roof Falls Off the Roof"; hanging platitudes on the walls of Joseph's humble home.
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is a simple but fun book that teaches a moral without being preachy.
Thinking on last night reminded me of Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, a 2000 Caldecott Medal winner by Simms Taback that teaches the virtues of thrift and being happy with what you have. Or as Simms sums it up: "You can always make something out of nothing." He adapted the story from a Yiddish folk song he sang as a child.
In what appears to be a turn-of-the-century Jewish village, Joseph is wearing a worn overcoat with patches holding it together. Did he throw it in the trash bin and head to town to buy a new one? No! He made a jacket out of it and went to the fair, where he had a blast. Before long "Joseph had a little jacket. It got old and worn./So he made a vest out of it and danced at his nephew's wedding." And so the frugality begins. I won't give away any more of the story. It's fun to see what Joseph turns the increasingly more worn and shrinking item into.
What's unique about this book is that every few pages is die-cut, which means that there is a space cut out of the page large enough to fit whatever new piece of clothing Joseph makes. The die-cuts get smaller as the pages are turned. There is lots going on in every scene to keep your child on his toes: friends peaking into a window; an old man asleep while singing in the choir; funny newspaper headlines like "Fiddler on the Roof Falls Off the Roof"; hanging platitudes on the walls of Joseph's humble home.
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is a simple but fun book that teaches a moral without being preachy.
May 9, 2020
I've always loved Simms Taback's artwork, and I think this is my favorite of his books, because of the cutouts that show the diminishing size of Joseph's overcoat as he makes and remakes it into various new articles of clothing. I especially love the details of the people in the illustrations. The wedding dance scene, for example, shows so many wonderful swatches of color and texture in the relatives' costumes, which embed the story in a specific culture and really add a whole new level to what is otherwise a very simple text. The sheet music at the end of the book is also a really nice touch - I'm working on learning it for ukulele, and teachers and librarians who read music or play musical instruments could undoubtedly learn it as well.
Read at Tales for Twos and Threes on 6/24/11: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
Read at a clothing-themed story time at my house on 12/4/19: https://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com...
Read at Tales for Twos and Threes on 6/24/11: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
Read at a clothing-themed story time at my house on 12/4/19: https://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com...
January 13, 2017
A wonderful story that fit right in with the story of about the 3 Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) we just read.
This is a fantastic way to show how one item can be reused again and again until there's nothing left but to make a story or song about it. We sang the song at the end together and our oldest made up a song on the spot, she was so inspired by the book.
This book was selected as one of the books for the January 2017- Caldecott Medal Winners 1998-2002 discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
This is a fantastic way to show how one item can be reused again and again until there's nothing left but to make a story or song about it. We sang the song at the end together and our oldest made up a song on the spot, she was so inspired by the book.
This book was selected as one of the books for the January 2017- Caldecott Medal Winners 1998-2002 discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
March 21, 2014
This 2000 Caldecott medal winner was a sheer joy to read.
Joseph's coat is old and worn, so he made a jacket out of the parts that were not patched together. When the jacket was old and worn, it became a vest. As each item becomes old and worm, Joseph makes good use of it. Until, at the very end, all that was left to make was a button. And, sadly, the button was lost and never found.
But, making something out of nothing, Joseph wrote a book about his wonderful overcoat.
Joseph's coat is old and worn, so he made a jacket out of the parts that were not patched together. When the jacket was old and worn, it became a vest. As each item becomes old and worm, Joseph makes good use of it. Until, at the very end, all that was left to make was a button. And, sadly, the button was lost and never found.
But, making something out of nothing, Joseph wrote a book about his wonderful overcoat.
July 11, 2020
For actual story, see your library.
Wow, and I thought I was thrifty! Love the animals, and the pictures on Joseph's walls.
October 18, 2017
A very cute folktale about a man that always makes the best of everything. Great way to teach kids that you can always make SOMETHING out of nothing!
February 7, 2022
Cute for the young set with a great message, especially for artists!
November 2, 2016
Joseph Had A Little Overcoat by Simms Taback is a small and short picture storybook that has a big and long-lasting message, “You can always make something out of nothing”. This tale follows the creativity and activities of the title character, Joseph. At the start of the story, we discover that Joseph has a little overcoat that is “old and worn”. However, he decides to make a jacket out of it and go to the fair. This decision sparks the beginning of Joseph’s journey with his little overcoat.
Taback utilizes both words and artwork to tell the story of Joseph, however the illustrations add a personal understanding to the story. The style of the lines in the illustration of Joseph Had A Little Overcoat are varied between thin, bold, horizontal, and vertical. This technique combined with the numerous shapes in the illustrations, gives the two-dimensional characters a soft, cozy and relatable feel. Most of the geometrical arrangements in the book are large and grouped which provides a sense of community around Joseph, but it also highlights his awkwardness and unusual closeness to his animals.
Joseph is generally in the center of the pages where he’s displayed and on the opposite page, the cutout for his next creation takes precedence. Taback’s usage of the cutout shape of the sweater also draws attention to the important role it has in the story. During night time in the story, dark colors such as purples, blues, and dark greens are used. However, during the daytime, bright and cheery colors bring a lively feel to the story. The primary color schemes are based off of warm colors such as yellows, oranges, and reds which give the story an Autumn feel. In addition, the presence of turkeys and the colors of Joseph’s coat seem reminiscent of Thanksgiving time, which is appropriate for the theme of the story. Taback uses positive space for his artwork, however, the pages are filled with items, animals, and people which cause the illustrations to feel chaotic and busy. Some of this “chaos” can also be attributed to the mixed media technique that includes watercolor, gouache, pencil, ink, and collages, which Taback used to create the illustrations. This unique style most closely resembles folk art and gives Joseph Had A Little Overcoat the aura of traditional literature.
I thoroughly enjoyed Joseph Had A Little Overcoat and I particularly loved the story’s message. I would highly recommend this excellent Caldecott-winning picture book to children and adults of all ages!
Taback utilizes both words and artwork to tell the story of Joseph, however the illustrations add a personal understanding to the story. The style of the lines in the illustration of Joseph Had A Little Overcoat are varied between thin, bold, horizontal, and vertical. This technique combined with the numerous shapes in the illustrations, gives the two-dimensional characters a soft, cozy and relatable feel. Most of the geometrical arrangements in the book are large and grouped which provides a sense of community around Joseph, but it also highlights his awkwardness and unusual closeness to his animals.
Joseph is generally in the center of the pages where he’s displayed and on the opposite page, the cutout for his next creation takes precedence. Taback’s usage of the cutout shape of the sweater also draws attention to the important role it has in the story. During night time in the story, dark colors such as purples, blues, and dark greens are used. However, during the daytime, bright and cheery colors bring a lively feel to the story. The primary color schemes are based off of warm colors such as yellows, oranges, and reds which give the story an Autumn feel. In addition, the presence of turkeys and the colors of Joseph’s coat seem reminiscent of Thanksgiving time, which is appropriate for the theme of the story. Taback uses positive space for his artwork, however, the pages are filled with items, animals, and people which cause the illustrations to feel chaotic and busy. Some of this “chaos” can also be attributed to the mixed media technique that includes watercolor, gouache, pencil, ink, and collages, which Taback used to create the illustrations. This unique style most closely resembles folk art and gives Joseph Had A Little Overcoat the aura of traditional literature.
I thoroughly enjoyed Joseph Had A Little Overcoat and I particularly loved the story’s message. I would highly recommend this excellent Caldecott-winning picture book to children and adults of all ages!
January 23, 2010
Approximate Interest Level / Reading Level: Early to Mid Elementary
Format: Picture Book
Awards: ALA Notable Books for Children (2000), Caldecott Medal (2000)
I originally chose this book for the illustrations but on further exploration also found it culturally significant. On my first read, I was taken in by the cut outs that show Joseph recycling the cloth of his overcoat into smaller and smaller garments as they wear out. Readers can predict what he will make next by the shape of the cut out, and on few of the pages, it is also fun to flip the pages back and forth to see how the illustrator incorporated the illustrations on the next page into the cut out of the current page. Increasingly, the cut outs become smaller and smaller until there is nothing left for Joseph to do but memorialize the cloth in a book with the moral, “...you can always make something out of nothing.”
At the end of the book, the author addresses the reader in a letter explaining his inspiration for the book, which was Yiddish folk song he remembers fondly as a child. The sheet music and the lyrics make up the final pages, which children can be taught to sing. What is most interesting about the book is that when you go back and reexamine it, you find that the illustrations in this book are filled with cultural significance. The artwork is a combination of watercolor, gouache, pencil, ink, and collage, and as an aside, you can explore the many minute cultural and sometimes humorous details, including newspapers lying on the ground, books lying about the house, theater advertisement posters and needlepoint proverbs hanging on the walls, and even misplaced letters, photographs, and postcards strewn about the house, which are in both Yiddish and English. There are also many cultural artifacts to find and explore, including a menorah and a dreidel. Even the labels on the food are created with cultural detail. The illustrations in the book are extraordinary in terms of cultural detail.
Format: Picture Book
Awards: ALA Notable Books for Children (2000), Caldecott Medal (2000)
I originally chose this book for the illustrations but on further exploration also found it culturally significant. On my first read, I was taken in by the cut outs that show Joseph recycling the cloth of his overcoat into smaller and smaller garments as they wear out. Readers can predict what he will make next by the shape of the cut out, and on few of the pages, it is also fun to flip the pages back and forth to see how the illustrator incorporated the illustrations on the next page into the cut out of the current page. Increasingly, the cut outs become smaller and smaller until there is nothing left for Joseph to do but memorialize the cloth in a book with the moral, “...you can always make something out of nothing.”
At the end of the book, the author addresses the reader in a letter explaining his inspiration for the book, which was Yiddish folk song he remembers fondly as a child. The sheet music and the lyrics make up the final pages, which children can be taught to sing. What is most interesting about the book is that when you go back and reexamine it, you find that the illustrations in this book are filled with cultural significance. The artwork is a combination of watercolor, gouache, pencil, ink, and collage, and as an aside, you can explore the many minute cultural and sometimes humorous details, including newspapers lying on the ground, books lying about the house, theater advertisement posters and needlepoint proverbs hanging on the walls, and even misplaced letters, photographs, and postcards strewn about the house, which are in both Yiddish and English. There are also many cultural artifacts to find and explore, including a menorah and a dreidel. Even the labels on the food are created with cultural detail. The illustrations in the book are extraordinary in terms of cultural detail.
April 2, 2016
Taback, S. (1999). Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. New York, NY: Penguin Group
When Joseph was a young man, he had an overcoat that he loved. As his years past, his coat became worn and he was able to cut it down to a vest, a tie, some patches and finally a button. He used and loved this fabric his entire life. As he aged, so did the fabric, yet Joseph was able to find a use for this specific piece of his life that he loved. He carried with him the treasure that once was an overcoat, and recreated many fabulous and useful things from this overcoat.
The illustrations in this story have bold colors and the lines are rounded, solid, and thick. There is a lot of detail in the patterns of the clothing and farm. The illustrations have cut outs in each page, taking the reader from a pattern on one page to another illustration on the next. There are not very many words on each page, but the pages are filled with different illustrations that provide texture and intrigue to the reader. There is so much to look at that the words are supplemental to the story. The reader wants to turn the page to see which new illustration will be used in the cut out portion of the story. The colors, texture, and lines are rounded, just like the story, that brings Josephs overcoat in a rounded way from coat to button, and Josephs life, beginning to end. It flows. The font is rounded, and although the words are written either at the top or bottom of the illustrations, there is a black rounded boarder around each illustration. The entire story, words and illustrations, seem to say, this story flows from the beginnings of everything to the ends. Everything is useful and loved, in every part of its world.
April 3, 2016
Joseph has an overcoat he wears everywhere. When he finds it gets too old and worn he makes it something new. He uses it as an overcoat, a jacket, a tie and a handkerchief but Joseph never stops losing it until he loses it. But Joseph always remembers how to make something out of nothing so he makes a book about it.
Joseph Had A Little Overcoat is a children story with an easy to read repetitive story line. Within each page, this story tells a story from the pictures. The author is able to use colorful, vibrant pictures that depict exactly what is happening in the story. The author’s use also of special awareness was also interesting. On one of the pages when Joseph goes to visit his sister in town wearing the new tie, the tiles they stand on are large and towards the front of the page and then in the background, there are buildings and the city view. Also, in most of the pages, the author also uses great distance when showing the moon and or sun to show what time of day it is. Another great aspect that showed this book was definitely a children’s book is how simplistic the illustrations are, although there was enough illustration on each page to tell the story the pictures were not overly detailed and or over dramatic. Another aspect I realized when viewing the book was the author kept a black border around each of the pages, almost like a tunnel vision into the story, I thought that was an interesting technique. Overall I Enjoyed reading this book and was intrigued how well the illustrator was able to tell the story with so little words. The pictures all seemed to be done in watercolors with very little distinctive detail and I believe this made the book that much better.
Joseph Had A Little Overcoat is a children story with an easy to read repetitive story line. Within each page, this story tells a story from the pictures. The author is able to use colorful, vibrant pictures that depict exactly what is happening in the story. The author’s use also of special awareness was also interesting. On one of the pages when Joseph goes to visit his sister in town wearing the new tie, the tiles they stand on are large and towards the front of the page and then in the background, there are buildings and the city view. Also, in most of the pages, the author also uses great distance when showing the moon and or sun to show what time of day it is. Another great aspect that showed this book was definitely a children’s book is how simplistic the illustrations are, although there was enough illustration on each page to tell the story the pictures were not overly detailed and or over dramatic. Another aspect I realized when viewing the book was the author kept a black border around each of the pages, almost like a tunnel vision into the story, I thought that was an interesting technique. Overall I Enjoyed reading this book and was intrigued how well the illustrator was able to tell the story with so little words. The pictures all seemed to be done in watercolors with very little distinctive detail and I believe this made the book that much better.
October 23, 2008
Synposis
This is a picturebook adaptation of a Yiddish song chronicling how Joseph finds new uses for his threadbare overcoat.
Review
I found the busy and colorful pictures a bit overwhelming at times. But the die cut pictures that showed the progression of the overcoat as it made its way from coat to vest to scarf all the way down to a button were pretty cool. Additionally, the book is sequential and has a lot of predictable repeats that make it easy for a younger child to follow along. There is also a copy of the original song at the end of the book. This is a great extension activity. While this book is recommended as a read-aloud and for storytimes, I'd only suggest this as a ono-on-one or small group activity because the pictures would get lost on a bigger group.
Critical Reviews
Publisher's Weekly
PW loved this adaptation of a Yiddish folk tale. It glowed about the pictures, the diecuts, the jokes for adults and the music for the original song. It even liked the way the author "wryly" slips himself into the story at the end. It even mentions that the sequential and repetetive nature of this book make it ideal as a book to read aloud. In all, every notable aspect of this book is mentioned in the review.
School Library Journal
This review focuses more on the pictures than on the content of the book. And that kind of makes sense as the cut outs are the most notable feature of the book. It does, however, mention the rhythm and repetition making it ideal for a read-aloud.
Other Bibliographic Information
Published in 2000 by Viking Penguin
Pages: 32
Ages: 3-8
This is a picturebook adaptation of a Yiddish song chronicling how Joseph finds new uses for his threadbare overcoat.
Review
I found the busy and colorful pictures a bit overwhelming at times. But the die cut pictures that showed the progression of the overcoat as it made its way from coat to vest to scarf all the way down to a button were pretty cool. Additionally, the book is sequential and has a lot of predictable repeats that make it easy for a younger child to follow along. There is also a copy of the original song at the end of the book. This is a great extension activity. While this book is recommended as a read-aloud and for storytimes, I'd only suggest this as a ono-on-one or small group activity because the pictures would get lost on a bigger group.
Critical Reviews
Publisher's Weekly
PW loved this adaptation of a Yiddish folk tale. It glowed about the pictures, the diecuts, the jokes for adults and the music for the original song. It even liked the way the author "wryly" slips himself into the story at the end. It even mentions that the sequential and repetetive nature of this book make it ideal as a book to read aloud. In all, every notable aspect of this book is mentioned in the review.
School Library Journal
This review focuses more on the pictures than on the content of the book. And that kind of makes sense as the cut outs are the most notable feature of the book. It does, however, mention the rhythm and repetition making it ideal for a read-aloud.
Other Bibliographic Information
Published in 2000 by Viking Penguin
Pages: 32
Ages: 3-8
September 10, 2015
Joseph has a little overcoat is an early readers book but even though there is only a short sentence one each page, the message goes a long way throughout the book. You first see Joseph wearing his overcoat which is full of patches so it is obvious that the book will be about what Joseph does with his overcoat. The introduction of the book does not explain if Joseph is poor or rich and does not say what his religion is but when you open it you immediately feel as if you are in a foreign country. There are animals in where it seems is his house and the colors include a lot of red, orange, blue and green. The color scheme continues throughout the book and the rich culture does not leave the illustrations that support the text very well. Throughout the book, there is a warm and comforting feeling that builds up to the end so that the emotional concept is not too harsh. The beginning of the book does have colorful backgrounds leading the end that use dark grey colors. I feel that this is an amazing book that early readers love because it is so different from your typical easy-read books and there is no hidden meaning, the moral of the story is told directly to the reader, which I admire. Children sometimes are too naive to realize the "hidden meaning" of a story so I believe it is better to tell children directly.
April 4, 2016
This book shows you how "you can always make something out of nothing." Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is about a man named Joseph who owns an overcoat that becomes old. Instead of throwing the coat out because it is old, he makes it into something else. He changes it into a jacket, vest, scarf and several other items.
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is an easy reading, cut out picture book. This picture book was predictable due to how it written. Each sentence basically followed the same structure. The structure consisted of Joseph had a little _item__ it got old and worn. So he made a _item__ out of it and used it to __do an activity_. The story is written in third person in a folk style. Each page was double spread with illustrations and minimal wording. The book illustrations were colorful and abstract. Each page had a black border around it. The book was cluttered with many characters and items. The book has a hard back and inside is a watercolor, gouache, pencil, ink collage. The lines were thin and went in many directions. There were many squares, rectangles and other various shapes throughout the illustrations. The book showed some texture such as the wooden floorboards and the fabric rugs and was full of mixed media. The setting is on Joseph's farm as well as many other places. On the back cover there were illustrations of many different buttons.
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is an easy reading, cut out picture book. This picture book was predictable due to how it written. Each sentence basically followed the same structure. The structure consisted of Joseph had a little _item__ it got old and worn. So he made a _item__ out of it and used it to __do an activity_. The story is written in third person in a folk style. Each page was double spread with illustrations and minimal wording. The book illustrations were colorful and abstract. Each page had a black border around it. The book was cluttered with many characters and items. The book has a hard back and inside is a watercolor, gouache, pencil, ink collage. The lines were thin and went in many directions. There were many squares, rectangles and other various shapes throughout the illustrations. The book showed some texture such as the wooden floorboards and the fabric rugs and was full of mixed media. The setting is on Joseph's farm as well as many other places. On the back cover there were illustrations of many different buttons.
November 2, 2016
Joseph starts the book with a lavishing overcoat that serves him several purposes throughout the book. He starts the book with a full coat and is quite happy, as the story goes on he continuously over wears the coat and is forced to make it into different clothing items to keep him warm. By the end of the book, he is left with much less than what he started with due to how much he wore his coat.
This book is unlike most books, and sticks with earthy tones. The book is pleasing to the eye and serves as an example of Taback's style. Each page contains a full fledged image with a sentence or two in the top corner to bring the pictures to life. The text is extremely easy to read, making it simple for children.
The illustrations in this book begin from the cover page and remain the same throughout the entire book. Each image takes place in the farmer's life. They all contain the main farmer and at least one animal, but some contain other farmer's, too. The drawings are most definitely hand drawn and do not have straight lines. Because it is a casual setting, the drawings match the author's setting and style of simplicity. It is between the realism and expressionism realms because it could easily take place in real life, but the author has allowed for his imagination to write the story.
This book is unlike most books, and sticks with earthy tones. The book is pleasing to the eye and serves as an example of Taback's style. Each page contains a full fledged image with a sentence or two in the top corner to bring the pictures to life. The text is extremely easy to read, making it simple for children.
The illustrations in this book begin from the cover page and remain the same throughout the entire book. Each image takes place in the farmer's life. They all contain the main farmer and at least one animal, but some contain other farmer's, too. The drawings are most definitely hand drawn and do not have straight lines. Because it is a casual setting, the drawings match the author's setting and style of simplicity. It is between the realism and expressionism realms because it could easily take place in real life, but the author has allowed for his imagination to write the story.
September 13, 2016
Book summary: This book is an award winning book. It is about a man who starts with an overcoat. That overcoat is worn so he makes it into something smaller. Each time the piece of fabric gets too worn he makes it into something else such as a vest, tie, handkerchief, or button. Then one day he loses the button but he makes something of nothing anyways to show readers the valuable lesson that we can always make something out of nothing.
Grade level: K-2
Appropriate classroom use: This is a good series of events book. This would be a good example of doing a quiz on the order of events. What happened first? Vest or button, etc.
Indv. students who might benefit: Students that have trouble paying attention to the order of things. This also lets students know you can build up. Just because you have nothing doesn't mean to stop there it means to start there.
Small group use: Students could read this book aloud and practice pronouncing words or recognize words they do not know.
Whole class use: I would like to read this book aloud to students. This book does fun things with the pictures and has cut outs.
Related books: There was an old lady who swallowed a fly, and Wiggle Like an Octopus.
Multimedia connections: None
Grade level: K-2
Appropriate classroom use: This is a good series of events book. This would be a good example of doing a quiz on the order of events. What happened first? Vest or button, etc.
Indv. students who might benefit: Students that have trouble paying attention to the order of things. This also lets students know you can build up. Just because you have nothing doesn't mean to stop there it means to start there.
Small group use: Students could read this book aloud and practice pronouncing words or recognize words they do not know.
Whole class use: I would like to read this book aloud to students. This book does fun things with the pictures and has cut outs.
Related books: There was an old lady who swallowed a fly, and Wiggle Like an Octopus.
Multimedia connections: None
February 1, 2017
Published by The Penguin Group (1999)
32 Pages
5 Star Rating
Genre: Fiction
Grade Levels: Pre-K through 5th Grade
Guided Reading Level: H
Lexile Level: BR1280
Summary:
Jospeh had a little overcoat but it was filled with holes. As the story goes on, readers are able to see what Jospeh does with a coat full of holes. What will he do first with his coat? And after that? This book keeps children engaged through a short journey and gives an overall life lesson that you can always make something out of nothing.
Teaching Ideas:
I would use this book at any time of the year, for any grade level Pre-k through 5th. Most importantly if my class was feeling down or just finishing up taking state tests would be useful to use this book. These times can be hard on students and make them feel like giving up or the feeling that they don't have much left. This book would make a great confidence booster for all students that they can do whatever they put their minds too and that you "Can always make something out of nothing!" The standard below is based on 1st grade NYS CCS.
NYS ELA CCS:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.4
Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.
32 Pages
5 Star Rating
Genre: Fiction
Grade Levels: Pre-K through 5th Grade
Guided Reading Level: H
Lexile Level: BR1280
Summary:
Jospeh had a little overcoat but it was filled with holes. As the story goes on, readers are able to see what Jospeh does with a coat full of holes. What will he do first with his coat? And after that? This book keeps children engaged through a short journey and gives an overall life lesson that you can always make something out of nothing.
Teaching Ideas:
I would use this book at any time of the year, for any grade level Pre-k through 5th. Most importantly if my class was feeling down or just finishing up taking state tests would be useful to use this book. These times can be hard on students and make them feel like giving up or the feeling that they don't have much left. This book would make a great confidence booster for all students that they can do whatever they put their minds too and that you "Can always make something out of nothing!" The standard below is based on 1st grade NYS CCS.
NYS ELA CCS:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.4
Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.
February 11, 2016
Children will read this book in anticipation of discovering what resourceful Joseph, the story’s main character, does with the fabric that is left of his already very worn overcoat as the piece becomes smaller and smaller and made into a variety of items. Die-cut holes and mixed media including watercolor, Gouache, pencil, ink, and collage enhance the jovial, repetitious story by providing incredibly vivid imagery.
Author and illustrator Simms Tabak includes music and lyrics to the song the book is based on, the Yiddish folk song, “I Had a Little Overcoat.” Young (preschool through 1st grade) students will enjoy this 2000 Caldecott winning book, and it presents itself with a variety of classroom uses. The various types of media and holes used may be examined and studied or students may write or draw about a time they have, like Joseph, reused a beloved item or “made something out of nothing.” This book would work well when doing an author/illustrator study in conjunction with other colorful, repetitive works of Tabak, such “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” and “This is the House That Jack Built.”
Author and illustrator Simms Tabak includes music and lyrics to the song the book is based on, the Yiddish folk song, “I Had a Little Overcoat.” Young (preschool through 1st grade) students will enjoy this 2000 Caldecott winning book, and it presents itself with a variety of classroom uses. The various types of media and holes used may be examined and studied or students may write or draw about a time they have, like Joseph, reused a beloved item or “made something out of nothing.” This book would work well when doing an author/illustrator study in conjunction with other colorful, repetitive works of Tabak, such “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” and “This is the House That Jack Built.”
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