JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT by Simms Taback

Bibliography

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

Summary

Joseph had an overcoat. Over time, it become old and worn, but instead of just throwing it out, he makes it into a … jacket. When the jacket becomes old and worn Joseph turns it into something else. Joseph continues turning each garment into something new, until there is nothing left. But is nothing really the end to Joseph’s overcoat?

Critical Analysis

Simms Taback takes a traditional Yiddish folk song and turns it into a beautiful story with rich, detailed illustrations. The story has a repetitive refrain that children love to recite. As the reader approaches the end, instead of being able to begin the next page with "So he made a . . ." he realizes there is nothing left; the reader can feel the sadness that is shown on Joseph's face as well as the animals who have come along for the journey. Thankfully Taback continues the story to teach us that just because it seems like there is nothing left, it doesn't mean you can't get something out of it.

Taback's illustrations alone bring the story to life. They are vibrant and almost move on their own. The die-cut holes that show the transition from one piece to another add another dimension that catapults the illustrations into award winning perfection.

Review Excerpts

2000 Caldecott Medal winner

From Booklist – “Taback's mixed-media and collage illustrations are alive with warmth, humor, and humanity.” – Tim Arnold.

From Horn Book Magazine - “Don't you lose it: clever, visually engrossing, poignant, it's worth holding on to." – Martha Parravano

Connections

 This would make a great story to read around Earth Day. It could be connected to reusing old things that aren't completely worn out. For an in class project, students could pick from a variety of old things and turn them into something new. I would love to do an at-home project to get the families involved with turning something they have that is old into something new and useful.

I have used this story in the past for retelling. We acted out our retelling with each “new” piece on card and the students chanting the refrain “It got old and worn. So he made . . .” They loved it!

My students also fell in love with the way the book was illustrated. They loved the die-cut holes that allowed the overcoat to change throughout the story. They tried to illustrate their own stories that way and found it very hard to match their holes on one page with the illustration on the other. They had a blast trying it and I was impressed to see the problem solving they used to try and make it work.