Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Bibliography:

Taback, Simms. 1999. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. New York: Viking. ISBN: 0670878553.

Summary:

The bottom of Joseph’s overcoat is old and worn, so he cuts it down to make a jacket. Then the jacket becomes patched and frayed, so he makes a vest. This pattern continues through the end of the book, with the original overcoat going all the way down to a button, which is lost (but you can always make a book about it!). On every other page, Joseph does some activity wearing his “new” item of clothing, such as going to the fair or visiting his sister.

Analysis:

The title evokes the Biblical story of Joseph’s coat, and the many colors in the book perhaps allude to this. This Joseph, though, is a more contemporary Jewish man with a plaid coat. He is resourceful and frugal, always finding a new use for his old piece of clothing. The key imaginative feature in this picture book is a series of die cuts that reveal to the watchful reader what type of clothing is coming up next. The text is minimal and based on a Yiddish folk song. The pictures are full of Jewish culture, and some humor as well (a newspaper headline says “Fiddler on roof falls off roof”). Taback’s full-page illustrations are a delightful, vibrant mix of watercolor and collage.

Reviews/Awards:

Caldecott Medal Winner

“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.”
Publisher’s Weekly

“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.”
Booklist

Connections:
*Read Taback’s There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly and discuss similarities between the two books.
*Find a recording of the Yiddish folk song “I Had a Little Overcoat” (Taback has done one) and teach it.

The Three Little Pigs and the Fox

Bibliography:

Hooks, William. 1989. The Three Little Pigs and the Fox. Ill. by S.D. Schindler. New York: Macmillan. ISBN: 0027444317.


Summary:

Mama Pig and her three piglets are living in a holler in the Appalachian Mountains. The two older boys eat all the time, and they get too fat to live at home. One by one, Mama sends them out to seek their fortune, telling them to watch out for the fox, build a strong house, and come visit on Sundays. These not-too-bright boys get caught by the fox, and like Hansel and Gretel, they are locked up to be eaten another day. But their little sister builds a stone house, outsmarts the fox, and rescues them.

Analysis:

This is a clever rendition of the well-known story. The author compiled several oral versions he heard in the Appalachians, and added his own details as well. Local color is provided by the food – hoecakes, dumplings, sweet potato pone – and by the language. The wolf in the traditional story is replaced by “that mean, tricky old drooly-mouth fox.” The ending is happy, since the fox floats downstream in a butter churn and all the pigs go home and visit Mama on Sunday. Large watercolor illustrations show scenery, action, and wonderfully rendered facial expressions.

Reviews/Awards:

An ALA Notable Children’s Book

“The Three Little Pigs retains some of the traditional material but also offers some very funny variations. The illustrations are large and simple; an excellent version for storytelling.”
Horn Book

“The telling here is lively and humorous, with amusing dialogue and details that will make this a good storytelling alternative. Schindler suggests the beauty of the mountain setting while deriving considerable humor from the older pigs' gluttonous self-indulgence and the fox's sly greed.”
Kirkus Book Reviews

Connections:
*Read several versions of the Three Little Pigs and discuss similarities and differences. Have children choose their favorite and say why.
*Read other Appalachian stories. For ideas, see Appalachian Picture Books

Turtle Knows Your Name

Bibliography:
Bryan, Ashley. 1989. Turtle Knows Your Name. New York: Atheneum. ISBN: 0689315783


Summary:
A young boy lives with his grandmother and she teaches him to say his long name and perform a name dance by the sea.

"Upsilimana Tumpalerado,
That's my name.
I took my time to learn it,
Won't you do the same?"

But the boy has trouble teaching his name to his friends or to the animals. Except one. Turtle already knows, and when Granny challenges her grandson to find out HER real name, Turtle is able to help.

Analysis:

Bryan’s retelling of a West Indian folktale is warm and cheerful. The two main characters take pride in their unusual names and thus in their identity. The language is rhythmic and fun to read aloud (“past pig in the pasture, past pawpaw and palm trees”). Children will enjoy the boy’s quest for his grandmother’s real name, without which he won’t get dessert! The full-page watercolor illustrations are packed with vivid colors and smiling faces.

Reviews/Awards:

“With the funny names, abundant dialogue and animal noises, Bryan's lively retelling of this English Antillean story is well-suited to reading out loud. The festive paintings are a visual treat, complementing the text with jewel-like colors and fluid lines.”
Publisher’s Weekly

“The handsome and loving black grandmother and her grandson inhabit a radiant, tropical world and should bring delight to young children and storytellers, who will recognize their proud and loving spirits, and will enjoy chanting the very long names over and over again.”
School Library Journal

Connections:
*Discuss the custom of a name dance, and have children insert their names into the song.

The Dumpster Diver

Bibliography:

Wong, Janet. 2007. The Dumpster Diver. Ill. by David Roberts. Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 9780763623807

Summary:

Steve the electrician goes dumpster-diving for cast-off treasures, and three kids in his apartment complex like to help him out. They hose him and the trash off as he climbs out of the dumpster, and then they all work together to create something fun or useful from what he finds. A grouchy old lady says someone will get hurt, and one day Steve does in fact get injured by a dumpster. The kids then decide to collect Useful Junk straight from the source, by knocking on apartment doors and asking instead of waiting until it gets tossed in the trash. They even make something for Steve when he comes home from the hospital!

Analysis:

This is a creative and fun book about recycling and how to make useful things for free. The dumpster-diver in the book is an adult, so it does not encourage kids to do it themselves. I liked the ending, since it’s certainly safer to get treasures before they make it to the dumpster.

The illustrations are quirky and brightly-colored. They create the setting of a multicultural, urban environment. One thing that really adds to the “recycled” feel of the book is that the text on each page is printed on a different background of something you could find in the trash: duct tape, torn-up typewriter paper, bandaids, cut-up doilies, etc. This book could lead to discussion about trash and re-using, and then perhaps lead to action!

Reviews/Awards:

“The topsy-turvy artwork keeps things light, but adults will find plenty to talk about with children, from the value of creative conservation to safe modeling of the depicted activities (which include gathering junk from apartment tenants who may or may not be strangers). This will be popular anytime, but especially around Earth Day, when it will inject new possibility into enjoyment to reduce and recycle.” Booklist, starred review

“This urban trash-to-treasure tale will resonate with city dwellers and send suburbanites and kids in rural areas searching for similar adventures.” School Library Journal

Connections:
*Find pictures (online or in other books) of items people have made using “junk” and discuss this method of Reduce-Reuse-Recycle.

Flotsam

Bibliography:

Wiesner, David. 2006. Flotsam. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN: 0618194576

Summary:

A boy is spending the day with his family on the beach. While he’s playing with a crab, a wave washes up a camera next to him. He finds a roll of film inside and gets it developed at a one-hour photo place. When the pictures come back, he is astounded. The following pages show the extraordinary pictures the camera took while underwater, as well as pictures of the other kids who have found the camera washed up on their beach. Finally, he takes a picture of himself and throws the camera back in the water so it can continue its journey.

Analysis:

This is a wordless picture book, but it doesn’t need words. The illustrations tell the story perfectly, and there is a clear story. It’s beautifully illustrated in watercolor, and there is enough detail to keep a patient reader busy for a long time. Some pages are one big picture, meant to capture a scene. Other pages are a series of smaller frames meant to convey action, such as the boy finding the camera, showing his parents, and discovering the film.

The fantastical pictures he finds reveal an ocean we haven’t seen before – miniature aliens, starfish with islands on their backs, and mechanical fish. The author/illustrator enjoys playing with perspective, first showing the reader an extreme close-up of an image and then zooming out, or vice versa. This creative story is circular, since the boy returns the camera to the water for the next child to find.

Reviews/Awards:

The book won the Caldecott Medal in 2007 for excellence in illustration

"From arguably the most inventive and cerebral visual storyteller in children's literature comes a wordless invitation . . . not to be resisted." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"New details swim into focus with every rereading of this immensely satisfying excursion." —Publisher's Weekly, starred review

Connections:
*Read David Wiesner’s other picture books, especially Tuesday.
*Kids will enjoy making up their own stories about the underwater pictures.
*Older readers can try works illustrated by Brian Selznick, who uses a similar style of perspective and action in his drawings.

Make Way for Ducklings

Bibliography:

McCloskey, Robert. 1965. Make Way For Ducklings. New York: Viking Press. ISBN: 0670451495

Summary:

Mr. and Mrs. Mallard are looking for a home, and as they fly over Boston, nothing seems quite right until they find an island in the river. Their eight ducklings hatch, and soon Mrs. Mallard takes them on a trip to the Boston Public Garden. But there are busy streets in their path, and the cars just won’t stop! A friendly policeman halts the traffic and the ducks – all in a line - proudly cross the street. They decide to live in the park, where people feed them peanuts.

Analysis:

This book has been popular since its first printing in 1941, and a statue of the ducks now stands in the Boston Public Garden. Kids will enjoy this classic story of the eight little ducklings with names that rhyme. The plot is simple, and the most exciting part is the few pages where the ducks cross the highway.

The text is not evenly distributed between pages, but the balance of text and illustrations is appropriate. The illustrations are beautifully done in sepia, and provide lots of detail. The ducklings, in particular, are shown with various facial expressions and actions. To make his drawings realistic, McCloskey actually brought a family of ducklings to live in his apartment.

Reviews/Awards:

The book won the Caldecott Medal for excellence in illustration

"One of the merriest picture-books . . . told in very few words with a gravity that underscores the delightful comedy of the pictures--fine large pictures, strongly drawn, with a wealth of detail".--The New York Times

Connections:
*Find Boston on a map. This is an ideal book to study for children who live in or are going to visit Boston, as the book talks about specific landmarks and streets. Others can discuss ducks and animals they have seen in their own city.

*Other books dealing with animals in the city:
City Animals by Elizabeth Austin
Chester Cricket’s Pigeon Ride by George Selden