Joseph had a Little Overcoat’ is a book written by Simms Taback. It is adapted from a song called ‘I had a Little Overcoat’. It has received a Caldecott Medal as the illustrations are beautiful with pages being cut in the shape of clothing. The story revolves around the grandfather’s coat. He wears it until it gets worn out. But does he discard it once it gets old? No! He uses the coat to make a lot of wonderful things. So this book shows that you can make something out of very little.
‘My Grandfather’s Coat’ is another book that is based on the song, ‘I had a Little Overcoat’. This book too is about the grandfather’s coat. The coat in this book too, goes through a series of alterations and is used to make things even when it’s almost in shreds.
Both these books are connected. The stories are about emigrants who settled in America. The stories show the hard working communities who, though in America, do not forget their roots. Secondly, both the books are inspired by the same Yiddish song and the stories passed down from generation to generation.
By chance, I selected both the books together, and for the first time, I came across books which were based on the same song. I thought that the song was based on the story, not the other way around.
I enjoyed reading both the books.
These two books are the books I love a lot… especially My Grandfather’s Coat. Good to see someone talked about it.