Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. retold and illustrated by Simms Taback.
1999. New York: Penguin Group. 32 p. (0670878553).

Author/Illustrator Website: www.simmstaback.com

Media: watercolor, Gouache, pencil, ink and collage

Awards and Honors: Caldecott Medal

Audience: Preschoolers and Up

Annotation:
An inventive retelling of a traditional Yiddish song in which resourceful Joseph repurposes his worn overcoat many times over.

Personal Reaction:
When Joseph's well-loved overcoat becomes old and worn, he turns it into a jacket. When the jacket becomes threadbare and patched, Joseph makes a vest from it. Joseph's garments become smaller and smaller as he repurposes it, until finally it becomes a button to hold up his overalls. Frugal Joseph eventually loses the tiny button, but he cleverly manages to create a book about the whole experience- thus making "something out of nothing".

The story itself is a repurposing of sorts- Taback takes his inspiration from a traditional Yiddish song. The repetition in the storyline lets children participate in the telling, while Taback's creative use of die-cut pages allows them to anticipate what Joseph might make next. Taback's illustrations are joyous, detailed, textured and vibrant- all without being cluttered. Small details in the illustrations- Yiddish sayings, old photos, a plate of matzoh, newspaper clippings- give the book a distinctly old-world flavor. Taback also includes an author's note and the music and lyrics for the original song as back matter in the book.