Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback

Bibliography
Taback, Simms. 1999. JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT. Ill. by Simms Taback. New York, NY: The Penguin Group. ISBN 0670878553

Plot Summary
In this narrative song turned story by Simms Taback, Joseph has an overcoat which he can't bear to part with even when it becomes torn and shabby. He repeatedly converts his overcoat into smaller pieces of clothing as the material continues to deteriorate. The coat becomes a jacket, then a vest, a scarf, a tie, a handkerchief, a button, and finally when the button is lost he makes a book about the whole story so as never to forget his beloved overcoat. The story ends with the message, "...you can always make something out of nothing."

Critical Analysis
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is a vibrantly illustrated simply patterned picture story book. The die-cut holes in the pages are camouflaged with illustrations but those looking closely can guess what Joseph will make next by looking at the shapes of the holes. The story evokes a sense of family and friendship as Joseph wears his recycled clothing to sing with the choir, to family weddings, and to visit family. A crowd of people are looking on as he uses his newly made button to fasten his suspenders. All throughout the story the idea of making something new out of something old is expressed.
Taback's illustrations are full of interesting details. The artwork was done using watercolor, gouache, pencil, ink and collage. Pictures of real people hang on Joseph's wall and peer out of the windows of the building on the street. The reader can read the music the fiddler on the roof is playing when Joseph's necktie becomes "old and warn." The papers, books, letters, postcards, wall hangings, posters, etc. are a mixture of English and Yiddish that can be studied as you read. There are wide-eyed animals on every page, inside and outside, following Joseph around. Taback included a dark border around each page to frame the bold yellow lettering which he also designed.

Review Excerpts
Winner of the 2000 Caldecott Award
Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "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."

Connections
*This is a wonderful book to teach the concept of recycling and reusing, as well as, the idea of writing something down so as not to forget it.
*Gather other books written and illustrated by Simms Taback, winner of the Caldecott award. Look at the methods and materials he used to create his expressive and descriptive illustrations.