Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
by Simms Taback
Joseph had a little overcoat that he dearly loved and wore every day. Eventually it got old and worn, but rather than throw it out, Joseph made it into a jacket, which he wore as often as possible. When that wore out, rather than throw it away, he made a vest, then a scarf, then a tie, then a handkerchief, and then a button. Then, when he lost the button, he made a book about it!
The fun beat, the jolly Joseph, the positive message... this book is a treat! Taback's exciting illustrations are a mixture of gouache, watercolor, and little scraps of fabric.
What we like best about this book is that Taback has managed to write a feel good story about something as "not fun" as reusing old stuff. Now that's a sign of a real talent! Use this book on Earth Day or in lessons on the 3 Rs of caring for the earth (renew, recycle, reuse). With each transformation, students will clearly see how much joy Joseph got out of his 'new' items each time, as opposed to throwing the items away and buying new ones.
Reading Level for Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
Interest Level: Kindergarten - Grade 2
DRA Level: 16
Lexile Measure:
BR
Grade Level Equivalent: 1.9
Guided Reading Level: I
Read-Aloud vs. Individual Reading:
For
kids in Kindergarten and first grade, this book
will need to be a read-aloud rather than for individual reading, as children generally do
not read on the reading level (difficulty level) of this book until the
end of first grade. The majority of second graders should be
able to read this book independently.
This book won a number of children's book awards, most notably the Caldecott Medal!!!
See Inside Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
Below are sample pages from inside Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.
The illustrations below should give you an idea of the illustration
style, but you really need to see it in person to see how the different
printed fabrics and photographs are worked into the illustration.
Brilliant!
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat Lesson / Activity Ideas
Activity to go with this book
Many
children know the phrase 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle', but no one
really talks about that middle one. When things wear out, we
generally throw them out (or donate them). But this book
reminds us that things that are worn out (or things that we are merely
tired of) can be re-purposed into something new and special.
After
reading this book to your class, talk about how much Joseph got
out of that original overcoat, and how much happiness reusing it
brought him. Ask the students if they have ever re-purposed something,
or share a time when you re-purposed something. (Most teachers use old
food containers to hold different things in their classroom, so you
might even be able to show them firsthand.)
Then, for fun and to show
how far you can take the reuse concept...show your students a selection
of products on the website of TerraCycle -- a company that makes products out of used packaging, and their items
are quite trendy. Three sample items are shown below -- a used packaging backpack,
a keychain picture frame, and a used packaging purse.
