Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Bibliography: 

Tabck, Simms. 1999. JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT. New York: Viking. ISBN: 9780670878550

Plot Summary:

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is a cute story based on a yiddish folk song. It talks about Joseph who has overcoat that he has owned and worn for a long time.  As time goes on, the overcoat becomes worn and tatty; so Joseph makes a jacket. However, the jacket becomes worn and Joseph then makes a vest. This is a tale about enjoying what you have and making the most of it. It is also about how one can recycle and repurpose things.

Critical Analysis:

Upon first opening the book, the reader discovers all kinds of stuff on the title page. Mr. Taback illustrates the book himself and uses watercolor, Gouache, pencil, ink, and collage.  With such a variety of art methods used in illustrating, Mr. Taback provides a colorful perspective of how Joseph lived. The mix of already created images and the drawings created by hand, invite the reader to think about these everyday items and what they look like. I feel like he is inviting the reader to go on a scavenger hunt: looking for how many of these items can be found in the home.  Another neat detail, is Mr. Taback cutting shapes on the page to represent what the overcoat starts out as and eventually following the journey of it being made into other clothing pieces and accessories. This detail caught my attention and I really liked that part of the story. 

Review Excerpt(s):

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review: "Children of all ages will joyfully swallow this book whole."

Connections:

This story reminds of books that are written about shapes and textures. It is good to read in the early elementary grades and bring in objects to give a book-to-world connection.

*The words of this review are my own and are created as part of a graduate studies class at Sam Houston State University.