Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Folktale (fiction), Trade Book, Lexile 330

Based on an old Yiddish folk song, this funny story traces the history of Joseph's overcoat. As it gets older and older, Joseph's coat turns into a jacket, a vest, a scarf, a necktie, a handkerchief, and a button. When he loses the button, Joseph turns the experience into a song, proving that "you can always make something out of nothing." The colorful, childlike illustrations won Simms Taback the Caldecott Award.