Product Description

Joseph had a little overcoat, but it was full of holes--just like this book! When Joseph's coat got too old and shabby, he made it into a jacket. But what did he make it into after that? And after that?

As children turn the pages of this book, they can use the die-cut holes to guess what Joseph will be making next from his amazing overcoat--while they laugh at the bold, cheerful artwork and learn that you can always make something, even out of nothing.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #55640 in Books
• Published on: 1999-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

Amazon.com
When Joseph's favorite overcoat gets old and worn, he makes a jacket out of it. When the jacket is more patches than jacket, Joseph turns it into a vest. When the vest's number is up, Joseph makes a scarf. This thrifty industry continues until there's nothing left of the original garment. But clever Joseph manages to make something out of nothing! (And that's the foreshadowed moral of the story.)

In today's throwaway world, Joseph's old-fashioned frugality is a welcome change. Based on a Yiddish song from Simms Taback's youth (lyrics and music reproduced on the last page), the book is filled with rhythms and arresting colors that will delight every reader. As more and more holes appear in Joseph's coat, die-cut holes appear on the pages, hinting at each next manifestation. The illustrations are striking, created with gouache, watercolor, collage, pencil, and ink. Every inch of space is crammed with fanciful, funny details, such as the headline on a discarded newspaper: "Fiddler on Roof Falls off Roof." Taback, esteemed creator of the Caldecott Honor-winning There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly and the classic Too Much Noise, has produced a picture book that is as well turned out as its dapper hero. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
As in his Caldecott Honor book, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Taback's inventive use of die-cut pages shows off his signature artwork, here newly created for his 1977 adaptation of a Yiddish folk song. This diverting, sequential story unravels as swiftly as the threads of Joseph's well-loved, patch-covered plaid coat. A flip of the page allows children to peek through to subsequent spreads as Joseph's tailoring produces items of decreasing size. The author puts a droll spin on his narrative when Joseph loses the last remnant of the coatAa buttonAand decides to make a book about it. "Which shows... you can always make something out of nothing," writes Taback, who wryly slips himself into his story by depicting Joseph creating a dummy for the book that readers are holding. Still, it's the bustling mixed-media artwork, highlighted by the strategically placed die-cuts, that steals the show. Taback works into his folk art a menagerie of wide-eyed animals witnessing the overcoat's transformation, miniature photographs superimposed on paintings and some clever asides reproduced in small print (a wall hanging declares, "Better to have an ugly patch than a beautiful hole"; a newspaper headline announces, "Fiddler on Roof Falls off Roof"). With its effective repetition and an abundance of visual humor, this is tailor-made for reading aloud. All ages. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Pre-Grade 3-A book bursting at the seams with ingenuity and creative spirit. When Joseph's overcoat becomes "old and worn," he snips off the patches and turns it into a jacket. When his jacket is beyond repair, he makes a vest. Joseph recycles his garments until he has nothing left. But by trading in his scissors for a pen and paintbrush he creates a story, showing "you can always make something out of nothing." Clever die-cut holes provide clues as to what Joseph will make next: windowpanes in one scene become a scarf upon turning the page. Striking gouache, watercolor, and collage illustrations are chock-full of witty details-letters to read, proverbs on the walls, even a fiddler on the roof. Taback adapted this tale from a Yiddish folk song and the music and English lyrics are appended. The rhythm and repetition make it a perfect storytime read-aloud.
Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

My nieces weren't as fond of it as I was
Checked it out from the library.

*I* liked it quite a bit, from the cut-outs on every page, to the sheet music at the end, to the little cultural tidbits and little yiddish morals on every spread.

My nieces weren't very enthralled, and asked to read other books instead.

Can't win 'em all. Gave it four stars anyway because, hey, I have a voice too!

A surprise hit
I wasn't expecting much from this book, really.

It was given to us as a gift, and I sort of set it aside in the book basket. My wiley children pulled it out one day for a read, and it has been on the top of the heap ever since.

The text isn't much.

But oh, the illustrations. The pictures are full-page cut-paper collages and they will suck you in, as your kids point out all these little details. The people are hilariously real -- you can recognize people you know in their expressions.

Each page has a little peep-through to the next -- we love that!

The paper has a wonderful heaviness -- this is a high-quality book. I need to write another thank-you note to the giver, now that months have gone by and we really enjoy it.

Oh, even the animals in the story have funny little personalities. It's just a darling book.

And the moral of the story is, even when you have nothing, you can make something of it.

Great book!
This is a great book! My son loves it, and I enjoy reading it to him. The pictures are interesting and there's a lot on each page to entertain the eye. Plus, the story is really cute.