Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Simms Taback's Caldecott Medal-winning picture book, "Joseph Had a Little Overcoat," is a vibrant and heartwarming retelling of a traditional Yiddish folk song. It follows Joseph, a resourceful Jewish farmer, who continually repurposes his worn-out overcoat into smaller and smaller garments, from a jacket to a button. The book features engaging die-cut holes that allow children to peek through and guess what Joseph will create next, fostering curiosity and interactive reading. With its bold, cheerful collage illustrations and repetitive structure, this story celebrates creativity, sustainability, and the idea that you can always make something out of nothing. It's perfect for sparking conversations about recycling and ingenuity.

A very old overcoat is recycled numerous times into a variety of garments.