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.