JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT

Taback, Simms. 1999. JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT. Ill. by Simms Taback. New York: Penguin. 0670878553.

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback is a retelling of a classic Yiddish Folk song with the simple message to be that you can always make something out of nothing.  In the beginning of the story, Joseph is faced with what to do with his worn overcoat.  Instead of tossing it out, he turns it into a jacket and goes to the fair.  His jacket transitions to a vest, then to a scarf, tie, handkerchief, and finally a button.  After the button is lost, his journey does not end.  He decides to make a book about it and teach us “…you can always make something out of nothing.”  The illustrations and cutouts of the book add unexpected twist and contribute to the anticipation and suspense of the story.  Each cut out strategically frames the clothing, as it becomes a smaller and smaller item.  The pictures are colorful and sprinkled with allusions to Jewish culture.

This book is a clever mixture of a fun folk tale and artistry. The cutouts mesh together each page and underscore the theme to reuse, conserve and always be thankful for what you have.  In addition to the cutouts, the mixed media artwork adds visual appeal and interest to the book.  Each page also offers “hidden” treasures by sprinkling elements of Jewish culture throughout the pages.  Careful observers will find traditional food and drink, Hebrew writing, and traditional Yiddish sheet music among others.  Upon the lost button that was fashion of his last remaining scrap of the overcoat, the book states “Now he had nothing” but the Jewish proverb on the wall, “What one has, one doesn’t want, and doesn’t have” foreshadows that this is not the end.  The industrious Joseph writes a book about the experience to preserve it.  This book would be a great performance piece for younger students, especially if the traditional Jewish music were integrated into the performances.  The repetition and progression of the overcoat’s transition would be engaging to a young audience and link tightly together.

Joseph had a little overcoat,

It was old and worn

So he made jacket out of it,

And went to the fair.

Joseph had a little jacket,

But it got old and worn.

So he made a vest out of it.

And danced at his nephew’s wedding,

But it got old and worn.

Through performance the students could explore traditional Jewish culture, events, foods, etc.  Students could also use prompts to assist with the performance elements of the piece.