I also much appreciate the fact that Joseph's prayer shawl (or scarf as described in Joseph Had a Little Overcoat) is therefore clearly handmade by him (a refurbished garment made with love and worn with love), and in my humble opinion thus praising God with inventiveness and clearly demonstrating that recycled clothes are not only just as useful but also often as potentially special and as well beloved as new or newer garments.
One of the final illustrative spreads shows Joseph (who more than likely represents Simms Taback himself) now drawing and creating his book, a sweet and fun account regarding the life and times of the little overcoat (an addition to the original song, a much more positive ending, as the Yiddish folksong just terminates with the button's loss).Īlthough Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is simply and sweetly fun and a great moral for everyone, both children and adults, personally, what makes this picture book offering glow and shine so very brightly (and with a well deserved five star rating) are the many Yiddish and Eastern European Jewish added cultural touches (the dual language Hebrew/English newspapers and books, the fun and evocative allusions to Fiddler on the Roof, the menorahs, traditional outfits/garbs, and the clearly Eastern European inspired dance steps at the wedding of Joseph's nephew). However, even then (after Joseph has lost this button), with the sweet and added moral that one can also and even make something out of nothing, the story of the little overcoat continues and is finally transformed into a book (namely this very book, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat). Joseph's beloved but worn and patched overcoat gets recycled and reused over and over again, and by necessity of course becomes ever smaller and smaller (but still always purposeful), and finally ends its existence as a button.
Based on a traditional Yiddish folksong (the lyrics and musical score of which are, in fact, featured on the last or rather the second to last page, much appreciated, although I would prefer to have both the English and the Yiddish lyrics included), Simms Taback's Joseph Had a Little Overcoat presents a totally and utterly magical marriage of text and image (I can more than well understand why and how this gem of a picture book was awarded the Caldecott Medal, as the illustrations are a true feast for the eyes, bright, lively, intensely descriptive and absolutely teeming with details and delightful fun).
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