Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

1. Bibliography

Taback, Simms. 1999. JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT. New York: Viking. ISBN 0-670-87855-3

2. Summary
   

Based on a Yiddish folksong, Joseph has an overcoat that becomes worn. As it wears out, it is transformed into smaller and smaller articles of clothing until all that is left is a single button. When Joseph loses the button, he makes a book about the life of the overcoat, ending with the moral – “You can always make something out of nothing.”

3. Critical Analysis

Taback uses simple sentences to take readers through the life of Joseph’s overcoat. Parts of the text are repetitive, but not in a way that would cause boredom or loss of interest in the book. The main repetition is in the line, “It got old and worn.” I find that this line, along with the way the story is written could be easily said as a poem or song. The story follows the Yiddish folksong “I Had a Little Overcoat”, which is included at the end of the book. Joseph’s overcoat continues to grow smaller and smaller until he ends up losing the last piece. Just when all seems lost, Joseph decides to write a story about it, teaching the moral that you can always make something out of nothing.

Taback’s illustrations are formed from water color, Gouache, pencil, ink, and collage. This gives the artwork a very unique feel. The page cut-outs bring a fun aspect to the story and add to the storyline as the overcoat’s original fabric becomes smaller and smaller.

4. Awards and Review Excerpts

- AWARDS -

-National Jewish Book Awards, 1999 Winner Illustrated Children’s Book United States

-Randolph Caldecott Medal, 2000 Winner United States
Sydney Taylor Book Awards, 1999 Honor Book Younger Reader United States

- REVIEW EXCERPTS -

BOOKLIST review: “Taback's mixed-media and collage illustrations are alive with warmth, humor, and humanity. Their colors are festive yet controlled, and they are filled with homey clutter, interesting characters, and a million details to bring children back again and again.”

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE review: “Each page is enriched with details appreciated more by adults than children--for example, a newspaper headline reads "Fiddler On Roof Falls Off Roof" or "Chelm Rabbi Knows Why the Ocean is Salty" (It's due to the herring)! Family pictures adorn the walls and peer out of apartment windows, Yiddish newspapers lying on the floor, books with authors such as Sholom Aleichem and I.L. Peretz all vie for attention and inspire adults to share this book with their children and grandchildren.”

5. Connections

-Students can write their own story that involves either making something out of nothing or re-writing Joseph’s story using different events.

-Read other books that have missing pieces in the pages such as The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

-Connect to science by talking about how Joseph “re-used” his overcoat; discuss other items that could be re-used.

Beautiful Blackbird

1. Bibliography

Bryan, Ashley. 2003. BEAUTIFUL BLACKBIRD. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-689-84731-9

2. Summary

Once upon a time in Africa, the blackbird was the only bird who wasn’t brightly colored. All of the other birds though blackbird was the most beautiful. After one bird gets some black added to his feathers, all of the other birds want to have some black as well. This book is adapted from an African tale of the Ila people with the messages of “Black is beautiful.” and “Color on the outside is not what’s on the inside.”

3. Critical Analysis

Bryan tells a story that is ready-made for participation on behalf of the audience. The words, “Black is beautiful, uh-huh” are repeated frequently throughout the book. The rhythmic prose Bryan uses will appeal to children of all ages. The text could be interpreted in two different ways – one that implies a racial metaphor or one that is focused on changing the view of the color black in art from dull and scary to bright and joyful. The text also brings up “color on the outside is not what’s on the inside” which can be interpreted as accepting racial differences.

Bryan uses overlapping collage images to fill the pages with colorful pictures. These cut-paper collages are simple, yet bold and add to the charisma of the story. When the single color birds are accented in black, the pictures become more vibrant. The construction paper-esque feel is sure to inspire young artists and open their minds to a new medium.

4. Awards and Review Excerpts

-AWARDS -

Coretta Scott King Award, 2004 Winner Illustrator United States

- REVIEW EXCERPTS -

KIRKUS review: “This telling, by the master storyteller, just aches to be read aloud; the lively rhythms keep the simple folktale rollicking along.”

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE review: “Because of its uncomplicated presentation, this book would be useful in making an African folk tale accessible to a very young audience, and the colorful illustrations and cheerful theme would please most young children.”

5. Connections

- Read and compare other African folktales, tales by Ashley Bryan, or por quoi tales.

- Discuss the scissors at the end of the book and how Bryan included a memorable piece of his mother. Encourage the students to include memorable pieces in their own writing.

- Read other books about sharing and individuality such as Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. Have students write their own book about sharing and individuality.

Yo, Hungry Wolf! A Nursery Rap

1. Bibliography

Vozar, David. 1993. YO, HUNGRY WOLF! A NURSERY RAP. Ill. by Betsy Lewin. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-440-40953-5

2. Summary

This is a re-telling of “The Three Little Pigs”, “Little Red Riding Hood”, and “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” in a rap verse style. In all three tales, the storyline is pretty traditional, with the exception of the rhyming and some of the grammar.

3. Critical Analysis

Vozar uses fun rhymes and catchy grammar to transform 3 traditional tales into a modern rap. The rap prose is catchy and would be a fun read-aloud. The text would also make a fun reader’s theater due to the style and the way it is broken into 4 line stanzas. When writing “The Three Little Pigs” section, Vozar uses the basic traditional tale with little variation. The most obvious variation is the use of a house of hay instead of a house of wood for the second pig. Some of the vocabulary in the story has been reworded; words such as “reinspired” and “beratin’” add to the story.

Betsy Lewin’s illustrations are done in watercolor and bold outlining. The cartoon style illustrations add to the characterizations and humor of the tales. The seemingly free draw pictures express the characters through the droop of the wolf’s whiskers and worry in the pigs’ eyes.

4. Awards and Review Excerpts

- AWARDS -

Children’s Choices Book, 1994 International Reading Association United States

- REVIEW EXCERPTS -

KIRKUS review: “Three well-known tales featuring the big bad wolf, retold in witty, rhythmic rap and cleverly linked.”

BOOKLIST review: “It's all good, nonviolent fun, much abetted by Lewin's marvelous cartoon-style illustrations.”

5. Connections

- Author study on David Vozar where students can compare and contrast other traditional tale raps such as MC Turtle and The Hip Hop Hare: A Nursery Rap and RAPunzel: A Happenin’ Rap.

- Read other books about The Three Little Pigs. Compare and contrast the storylines using a double bubble map.

- Have the students write an alternative ending to the Three Little Pigs.

- Have students create a dictionary of words they do not know in the rap. Have them create definitions based on text inferences, then look up the actual definition and compare the two.