Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
Encyclopedia
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is the title of a 1999 book by Simms Taback
that won the 2000 Caldecott Medal
. 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. Readers of the story say that Joseph greatly resembles Simms Taback
.
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is based on the Yiddish song I Had a Little Overcoat. 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."
The story is read on the children’s show Between the Lions
.
Simms Taback
Simms Taback is an American author, graphic artist, and illustrator and winner of the Caldecott Medal. Taback has illustrated over 35 books, including the Caldecott Medal winning Joseph Had a Little Overcoat and the Caldecott Honor book There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.Taback graduated...
that won the 2000 Caldecott Medal
Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...
. The main character is Joseph, a 40-something Jewish farmer, who has a little striped overcoat
Overcoat
An overcoat is a type of long coat intended to be worn as the outermost garment. Overcoats usually extend below the knee, but are sometimes mistakenly referred to as topcoats, which are short coats that end at or above the knees. Topcoats and overcoats together are known as outercoats...
. When it is old, Joseph makes it into a little jacket
Jacket
A jacket is a hip- or waist-length garment for the upper body. A jacket typically has sleeves, and fastens in the front. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and less insulating than a coat, which is outerwear...
and so on until he makes it into a button
Button
In modern clothing and fashion design, a button is a small fastener, most commonly made of plastic, but also frequently of seashell, which secures two pieces of fabric together. In archaeology, a button can be a significant artifact. In the applied arts and in craft, a button can be an example of...
. Then Joseph loses the button and makes a story out of it. The moral
Moral
A moral is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim...
of the story is "you can always make something out of nothing."
The story has die-cut illustrations consisting of watercolor and collage. Readers of the story say that Joseph greatly resembles Simms Taback
Simms Taback
Simms Taback is an American author, graphic artist, and illustrator and winner of the Caldecott Medal. Taback has illustrated over 35 books, including the Caldecott Medal winning Joseph Had a Little Overcoat and the Caldecott Honor book There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.Taback graduated...
.
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is based on the Yiddish song I Had a Little Overcoat. 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."
The story is read on the children’s show Between the Lions
Between the Lions
Between the Lions is a PBS Kids' puppet show designed to promote reading. The show is a co-production between WGBH in Boston and Sirius Thinking, Ltd., in New York City, in association with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, in Mississippi. The show has won seven Daytime Emmy awards between 2001 and...
.