Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

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 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."

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

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
Dewey Decimal	398.2 E 21
LC Class	PZ7.T1115 Jo 1999

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]

Awards

• 1999: National Jewish Book Award for Children's Picture Book[10]
• 2000: Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration[11]

References

1. Barbara Kiefer Chairs the Caldecott Award Committee. June 1, 1999.
2. Caldecott Medal Winners, 1938 – Present. Association for Library Service to Children.
3. 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.
7. "Joseph Had a Little Overcoat". www.publishersweekly.com. PWxyz LLC. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
8. "Joseph Had a Little Overcoat". www.commonsensemedia.org. Common Sense Media Inc. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
9. "Joseph had a little overcoat". www.buffalolib.org. Buffalo & Eric County public Library. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
10. "Past Winners". Jewish Book Council. Retrieved 2020-01-20.
11. "Caldecott winner All he can say is, Wow, wow, wow - CNN". web.archive.org. 2012-09-30. Retrieved 2020-01-20.

See Also

• Something from Nothing another children's book based on the same story.

Awards
Preceded by Snowflake Bentley	Caldecott Medal recipient 2000	Succeeded by So You Want to Be President?
Preceded by You Never Know	National Jewish Book Award recipient 1999	Succeeded by Moishe's Miracle