| Joseph Had a Little Overcoat | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Simms Taback |
| Illustrator | Simms Taback |
| Country | United States |
| Genre(s) | Children's picture book |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Publication date | 1999 |
| ISBN | 978-0670878550 |
| OCLC Number | 40159006 |
| Dewey Decimal | 398.2 E 21 |
| LC Classification | PZ7.T1115 Jo 1999 |
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 40-something 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."
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.[5][3] 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]
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Snowflake Bentley |
Caldecott Medal recipient 2000 |
Succeeded by So You Want to Be President? |