Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat was written and illustrated by Simms Taback. This book was the Caldecott medal winner in the year 2000. It is the story of Joseph and he has an overcoat that is worn out. He takes the overcoat and makes a jacket and when the jacket is worn out he makes a vest. As each item wears out he turns it into a new item until he has had a coat, jacket, vest, tie, handkerchief, and button. When he loses the button he writes a book about the ordeal proving that you can always make something out of nothing.

This book could create a real teachable moment. It is a good lesson on not being wasteful. Just because something does not look like brand new anymore does not mean that it should be discarded. It is also a tale of encouragement. Even when it seems as though you have nothing you can take your circumstances and turn them into something good.

This is also a great book to be used when discussing other cultures. This story is based on a Yiddish folk song. This would be wonderful to use if you were studying Jewish culture. The author adapted the song because it was one of his favorites growing up and he illustrated the character of Joseph to resemble himself.

The pictures in this book are beautiful. They are brightly colored and appear to be a collage type picture. There are cutouts on one page that become the item on the next which is fun for children. The pictures also show Jewish life by illustrating a wedding, home life, a men’s chorus and a fair. This is a very neat book that could be used in many ways in the classroom.