Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback

A. Bibliographic Data

JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT by Simms Taback. Ill. by Vicking. Penguin Group Publishing 1999 (1977). ISBN # 0-670-87855-3.

B. Plot Summary

Joseph has an overcoat that gets old and worn so he then creates or recycles his garment into something new.

C. Critical Analysis

JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT has excellent illustrations that draw the reader into the story. The book includes cut-outs that hint to the reader what the next item will be. The most interesting part of the illustrations is the blen between the painterly, child-like drawings and the small photographs that keep with the folk theme.

The character (Joseph) is realistic and relatable. Whenever he has a problem, his facial expression shows despair, however, when he is able to solve the problem and create something new, his facial expression shows relief and happiness. The depiction of Joseph appears to be warm and inviting.

The author sets the story on a Polish farm in the fall which can be indicated by the overcoat and pictures of the farm. He indicates time through the items that Joseph can make with the worn out garments and shrubbery on the trees.

The theme of the story is the most interesting part of the book. I like how the author shows how people can solve problems and don't just throw something away because it is old and worn out. With some thought, something can be made or used in a new way. This book encourages kids to be creative and resourceful. The moral fo the story is that you can always make something out of nothing, which doesn't overpower the story itself.

This book does include some cultural markers that include the skin color of the main character. Joseph has a full beard, glasses and an olive tone. Throughout the book, the illustrations include hints of a Polish and/or Jewish dress, candelabra, and newsprint. While it seems great that this book would appear to be multicultural, it could be found offensive by someone who is Jewish because it seems to be stereotypical. Yet, if used appropriately by discussing the different items, how they are used, and why, this could create a wonderful lesson on how Polish or Jewish people are different than the reader.

D. Awards Won and Review Excerpts

JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT has won several awards including the Randolph Caldecott Award in 2000, National Jewish Book Awards 1999, and Sydney Taylor Book Awards 1999.

Jan Lieberman from Children's Literature reviewed the book as follows, "What do you do with an overcoat that is torn and worn but that is so dear that you can't toss it out? Cut it down, trim it and turn it into something else. That's just what Simms Taback does in his Caldecott Medal book JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT. Taback has clothed this well-known tale with comic characters, bold colors and a die-cut on each page to highlight the journey from coat to button to memory. The only thing left is to tell the story. Each page is enriched with details appreciated more by adults than children--for example a newspaper headline reads "Fiddler On Roof Falls Roof" or "Chelm Rabbi Knows Why the Ocean is Salty" (It's due to the herring)! Family pictures adorn the walls and peer out of apartment windows, Yiddish newspapers lying on the floor, books with authors such as Sholom Aleichem and I.L. Peretz all vie for attention and inspire adults to share this book with their children and grandchildren. The music is included at the end of the book."

E. Connections

An activity that would enhance the reading experience would be to have students bring in an item from home that is old and worn out and challenge the students to recycle the item to something new they could use. This would be a great book to cover on Earth Day or any other time that recycling is the main theme.