Module 3 - Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.

Summary

This book tells the story of Joseph, a man with a long straggly coat.  He cuts the bottom off and wears it as a jacket.  When the jacket wears too much, he cuts it again and wears it as a vest.  When the vest becomes too ratty to wear, he cuts it into a scarf.  This goes on several more times until Joseph is left with only a button, which he loses.  He concludes at the end that "You can make something out of nothing." 

My impressions

This book is a fun read, with bright pictures and cut-outs showing the changing shape of the coat over time. I also like that this book has a good, but not preachy, message about valuing what you have.  As a (cheap) adult reader I can appreciate his resourcefulness at stretching his belongings.  I don't know if Joseph or child readers understand recessions but I sure do!  The pictures are detailed and interesting, and they tell the story as much as the text does.

Reviews

Reviewers appreciated the cheery collage illustrations, noting that "they are filled with homey clutter, interesting characters, and a million details to bring children back again and again"  (Arnold, 2000).

Use in a library

This story would be fun to use in a library craft hour.  Readers could create different articles of paper clothing and could even work in groups to show a succession of cut clothes the way this book did.  This book is busy enough that I think it would work best in a physical way.

References

Arnold, T. (2000). Review of Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. Booklist 96(9-10): p936.  

Taback, S. (2000). Joseph had a little overcoat.  New York, NY: Penguin Group.