Today I bring you Joseph had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback.
Summary: Thrifty Joseph has an overcoat that gets old and worn so he decides to make a jacket out of it which subsequently gets old and worn. So, he makes a vest out of it and yes you guessed it, it also gets old and worn. This continues until he makes a button which he then loses and decides to make a book about it which shows "You can always make something out of nothing." The true moral to the story. And I guess, you might say, that this is a very "green" book - teaching all about reusing and recycling!!
Concepts and Vocabulary: This is a fabulous book for teaching clothing (especially unfamiliar clothing such as handkerchiefs and scarves). You can also teach concepts such as rural vs. urban. Through the pictures you can teach animal names and sounds.
My thoughts: Great repetitive text! Also, I love the pictures (I'm not surprised he won the Caldecott medal for this book in 2000). Taback's illustrations are multi-media, incorporating photographs and fabrics. Taback's sense of humor also comes out in his illustrations. Check out the newspaper Joseph is reading. The headline, "Fiddler on the Roof Falls off Roof," is just too funny. Finally, children will enjoy the diecuts that offer a peek into the next item that Joseph will make.
Happy reading!
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