Author:
Simms Taback

Number of pages:
40

Does the book have pictures?
Yes

What age group is this book written for?
Preschool and Younger
Elementary School

Category:
Fiction

Brief summary:
This is a newly illustrated version of a great story that was published in 1977.

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 that gets worn out, Joseph makes a scarf. You get to follow Joseph through parts of his life as he wears these pieces of clothing down to threads. Just when you think nothing more could be made of the scraps that are left, Joseph surprises you yet again with his ingenuity and frugality.

The story is based on a Yiddish song, which is printed at the back of the book, and the illustrations, which are made with quite a few different techniques, make the whole book a sort of patchwork of color; it's just crammed with details, to sort of represent the point of how you can make something out of what seems like nothing. This book won the 2000 Caldecott Medal, which is awarded annually to the most distinguished American picture book for children