Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Do you like a story with a moral?  Well, you're in luck, because this fun book based on a Yiddish folk song, has a great moral in the end.  My girls love the bright, colorful illustrations and the fun cut-outs on each page.  The story is simple.  Joseph had a little overcoat.  It was old and worn.  So he made a jacket out of it and went to the fair.  Soon the jacket becomes old and worn, so he makes a vest out of it.  The vest becomes old and worn, so he makes a scarf out of it.  You get the picture....the scarf becomes a necktie, the necktie becomes a handkerchief, which then becomes a button.  One day, Joseph loses the button.  So he makes a book about it. And this proves that you can always make something from nothing!  Usually, when we finish this book, we instantly hear, "Can you read it again, pleeeaase?!?" 

Reading Connection:  Create your own story by filling in the blanks  "______ Had a Little _______" and then see where this leads.  When you are finished, have your child write and illustrate his or her own book, or do it together as a collaborative project and add it to your library.  For example, we created this story a few nights ago. 

Hannah had a little Pillowcase. 
It got old and worn.
So she made a skirt out of it and danced in a ballet recital.
Hannah had a little skirt.
It got old and worn.
So she made a scarf out of it and wore it on a winter day.
Hannah had a little scarf.
It got old and worn.
So she made a hair bow out of it and wore it in her ponytail.
One day Hannah lost her hair bow.  And she had nothing.
So she wrote a book about it which shows you can always make something from nothing!

We are still working on our book and illustrations, but I'll post pictures when we done!  And go to your library and check out Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback!