Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Wikidata image Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is a 1999 children’s picture book by Simms Taback that won the 2000 Caldecott Medal.[1][2] The book is a re-illustrated version of a book of the same name by Taback that was published in 1977.[3] The protagonist is Joseph, a Jewish farmer, who has a little striped overcoat. When it grows old, Joseph makes it into a little jacket and so on until he makes it into a button. Ultimately, Joseph loses the button, but is prompted to write a book based on his experiences. The moral of the story is "you can always make something out of nothing." In 2001, an 11-minute animated film based on the book, directed by Daniel Ivanick and narrated by Rob Reiner, was made by Weston Woods Studios, Inc.
The story has die-cut illustrations consisting of watercolor and collage.[4] Readers of the story say that Joseph greatly resembles Simms Taback.[5]
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is based on the Yiddish song I Had a Little Overcoat.[4][6] 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]
An animated version of the book was read on the children's show Between the Lions.[7]
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."[8] while Common Sense Media wrote "it will nudge its way onto your list of favorites."[9] 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."[10] The School Library Journal described it as "A book bursting at the seams with ingenuity and creative spirit."[10]
Awards
- 1999: National Jewish Book Award for Children's Picture Book[11]
- 2000: Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration[12]
See also
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- Something from Nothing another children's book based on the same story.
References
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- ↑ a b Barbara Kiefer Chairs the Caldecott Award Committee. June 1, 1999.
- ↑ Caldecott Medal Winners, 1938 – Present. Association for Library Service to Children.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Judy Halpern. Green Teacher. April 1, 2003.
- ↑ Angie West, Jodi Stevens, Cheryl Delia, Valerie Bradshaw, and Mike Kahn. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.
- ↑ I Had a Little Overcoat
- ↑ Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.
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- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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