Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

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Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
Cm joseph overcoat.jpg
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat cover
Author Simms Taback
Illustrator Simms Taback
Country United States
Genre Children's picture book
Publisher Viking Press
Publication date
1999
ISBN 978-0-670-87855-0
OCLC 40159006
398.2 E 21
LC Class PZ7.T1115 Jo 1999

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is the title of a 1999 book by Simms Taback that won the 2000 Caldecott Medal.[1][2] The main character is Joseph, a 40-something Jewish farmer, who has a little striped overcoat. When it is old, Joseph makes it into a little jacket and so on until he makes it into a button. Then Joseph loses the button and makes a story out of it. The moral of the story is "you can always make something out of nothing."

The story has die-cut illustrations consisting of watercolor and collage.[3] Readers of the story say that Joseph greatly resembles Simms Taback.[4]

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is based on the Yiddish song I Had a Little Overcoat.[3][5] Barbara Kiefer, chair of the Caldecott Award Committee, commented, "Vibrant rich colors, playful details, and skillfully-placed die cuts contribute to the books raucous merriment that takes this Yiddish folk song far beyond the simple words."[1]

The story is read on the children’s show Between the Lions.[6]

Reception

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat has been favorably received. Publishers Weekly found "With its effective repetition and an abundance of visual humor, this is tailor-made for reading aloud."[7] while Common Sense Media wrote "it will nudge its way onto your list of favorites."[8] Booklist called it "a true example of accomplished bookmaking" and "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."[9] The School Library Journal described it as "A book bursting at the seams with ingenuity and creative spirit." [9]

References

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Awards
Preceded by Caldecott Medal recipient
2000
Succeeded by
So You Want to Be President?


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  1. 1.0 1.1 Barbara Kiefer Chairs the Caldecott Award Committee. June 1, 1999.
  2. Caldecott Medal Winners, 1938 – Present. Association for Library Service to Children.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Judy Halpern. Green Teacher. April 1, 2003.
  4. Angie West, Jodi Stevens, Cheryl Delia, Valerie Bradshaw, and Mike Kahn. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.
  5. I Had a Little Overcoat
  6. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.
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