Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback

 

1.      Bibliography

Taback, Simms. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. New York: Penguin Putnam Books, 1999. ISBN 0670878553

2.      Plot Summary

Joseph’s overcoat is so old that it is patched and fraying.  So, Joseph makes a jacket.  Each time the article of clothing gets old, he cuts it down to something smaller.  The story is told with Joseph on one page and a cut-out of an article of clothing on the other.  Children will enjoy guessing, by looking at the cut-outs, what Joseph is going to make next.  The article of clothing gets smaller and smaller and it becomes hard to imagine what Joseph will make next but he continues to find inventive ways to make a smaller piece of clothing.

3.      Critical Analysis

The character of Joseph is appealing and thrifty.  He appears comfortable, surrounded by his animals and friends. Young children ages 3-7 will follow along and enjoy the repetition of ‘Joseph had a little blank. It got old and worn.  So, he made a blank out of it.’  The cut-out of the next article of clothing will keep the children playing along and guessing what the next article of clothing will be.  The setting of the old man and the animals may not be familiar to all children but his sense of making something fit, will ring true to any kid that had to deal with hand-me-downs.  And, the theme of ‘making something out of nothing’, is an up-lifting moral for those that have had to live with less.

The illustrations have a kind of old fashion feeling.  Because Joseph’s clothes are patched, the reader has a sense of a patchwork quilt time in history that is mostly gone from our society.  And, Joseph’s beard, glasses, and manner of dress; puts the reader into a culture that is not part of mainstream America. So, the illustrations will make a great discussion starter about the Yiddish culture and similarities and differences to what the children are used to.

4.      Review Excerpts

Caldecott Medal Book 2000

From Publisher’s Weekly: With its effective repetition and an abundance of visual humor, this is tailor-made for reading aloud.”

From Common Sense Media: “Vibrantly illustrated and simply patterned story.”

From School Library Journal: “A book bursting at the seams with ingenuity and creative spirit.”

From Booklist: “This newly illustrated version … is a true example of accomplished bookmaking.”

5.      Connections

Gather and read other books by Simms Taback such as:

    There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.  ISBN 0670869392
    This is the House That Jack Built.  ISBN 0142402001

Gather and read other books about Jewish culture such as:

   Wisniewski, David.  Golem.  ISBN 0618894241
    Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins.  ISBN 0823431940
    Aylesworth, Jim.  My Grandfather’s Coat.  ISBN 0439925452
    Kimmel, Eric A. Gershon’s Monster: A Story for the Jewish New Year.  ISBN 043910839X

Have children make something from something else and/or have them make something out of nothing this could include a book, song, art etc.

Use the book in a lesson on recycling and reuse.

Use the story in a science lesson on barnyard animals.

The Three Pigs by David Wiesner

The Three Pigs by David Wiesner

1.      Bibliography

Wiesner, David. The Three Pigs. New York. Clarion Books. 2001. ISBN 0618007016

2.      Plot Summary

This tale starts out in the traditional Three Little Pigs format – ‘Once upon a time’.  And, while these three pigs still build their houses out of straw, sticks and bricks; and the wolf still comes to blow their houses down; these pigs aren’t about to let the wolf be the one to direct their fate.  These pigs are wise and much more in control of their own story and the fate of some other familiar characters.

3.      Critical Analysis

Children will love the familiar characters who act in an unfamiliar fashion; especially those that already know the familiar tale of the Three Little Pigs.  These pigs are more independent and heroic, as the go into other familiar tales and rescue their lead characters.  The plot will at first seem familiar to the children but as the story changes they will delight in the new setting for the pigs.  When the pigs escape from the confines of their own story, it is told in way that children can understand.  They step not only out of the story but, it appears, they breakout of the book itself.

David Wiesner’s illustrations are realistic enough that when the pigs take flight from the pages, you see the pages as a concrete part of the book that they can step out of.  The drawings also tell the reader the setting by changing style as the pigs go from one story to the next.  The cat and the fiddle nursery rhyme is drawn more like a cartoon, making the pigs look like the only thing ‘real’ things in that part of the tale.  When they enter the dragon tale, the style changes again to a gothic, stained glass style.  The characters re-enter the pigs story and go back to the original style, making the rescued characters look all the more comfortable in the cozy brick pig house.

4.      Review Excerpts

2002 Caldecott Medal

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

From Kirkus Review: Starred Review. “Inventive retelling.”

From Booklist: Starred Review: “Wiesner has created a funny, wildly imaginative tale that encourages readers to leap beyond the familiar; to think critically about conventional stories and illustration, and perhaps, to flex their imaginations and create wonderfully subversive versions of their own stories.”

From Publishers Weekly: Starred Review. “Wiesner's brilliant use of white space and perspective evokes a feeling that the characters can navigate endless possibilities.”

5.      Connections

Gather other stories Caldecott medal and honor books from David Wiesner to read such as:

    Free Fall. ISBN 068810990X
    Tuesday. ISBN 0395870828
    Flotsam. ISBN 0618194576
    Sector 7. 0395746566
    Mr. Wuffles! ISBN 0618756612

Gather other classic tales referenced in the story such as:

    Marshall, James.  The Three Little Pigs. ISBN 0448422883
    Stevens, Janet and Susan Stevens Crummel.  And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon. 0544668332
    Hodges, Margaret and Trina Schart Hyman.  St George & the Dragon. ASIN B00GOH46AI

Gather other retellings of the Three Pigs such as:

    Scieszka, Jon and Lane Smith.  The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.  ISBN 0140544518
    Trivizas, Eugene and Helen Oxenbury.  The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig.  ISBN 068981528X

Have children tell their own reinvented traditional tale.

Rip Van Winkle's Return by Eric A. Kimmel

Rip Van Winkle’s Return by Eric A. Kimmel. Pictures by Leonard Everett Fisher

 

 

1.      Bibliography

 Kimmel, Eric A. and Leonard Everett Fisher.  Rip Van Winkle’s Return. New York. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0374363080

 

2.      Plot Summary

 Rip Van Winkle is a ne’er-do-well.  He does not take life seriously and plays, fishes or hangs about the tavern all day.  He does not contribute to tending his fields, raising his children or contributing to the household.  So, when his friends start talking about protesting the British tea tax, he decides to leave, run away and heads up into the mountains.  There he meets up with ghostly Henry Hudson and the crew of the Half Moon, he drinks mead with them and falls asleep.  He sleeps for 20 years and, needless to say, the world he comes back to is vastly different.

 
3.      Critical Analysis

Rip Van Winkle’s Return is an good retelling of Washington Irving’s short story Rip Van Winkle original published in 1819.  Eric Kimmel has made a few changes to the story giving Dame Van Winkle purpose for her nagging ways and having Rip (the elder) learn from his misspent youth.  Since the story was originally a short story, it is an ideal length for a picture book.  The characters are typical for the time period with a school master, innkeeper and a parson.  The setting of the story, in an old Dutch village right before the Revolutionary War making it a perfect book to tie-in to a history lesson for children ages 5-9.  The theme of escaping one’s present by falling asleep and waking many years later, has been around since 3 A.D. as told in an old Greek tale.  This retelling brings the tale to a new generation in a colorful and fantasy full way.

The illustrations by Leonard Everett Fisher are as rich as a painting.  He uses a palette of earthy shades with deep blue skies and lush green mountains.  The details tend to be a bit abstract with no clear edges but this adds to the mystery when you can’t see the bowling ‘ghosts’ clearly, only in shadow.  The illustrator also outlined all of the characters with clear black lines.  This allows the characters to be more visually present then the abstraction of the background.  The tone of the painting style makes the period of the story seem more dream-like, setting it apart from present day and lending itself to the muddled state Rip Van Winkle must have felt when he awoke.

 

4.      Review Excerpts

From Booklist: ‘This unique version of the most famous return in literature deserves a place in the majority of collections.”

From Publisher’s Weekly: “Kimmel's lilting prose does the tale proud."

From School Library Journal:” Kimmel and Fisher's offering can be seen from afar for group sharing.”

From Kirkus Review: ‘Kimmel remakes the Washington Irving classic into a shorter, more moralistic episode, preserving major events but changing the original by having Rip, after his long sleep, suffer remorse for his lazy ways and go forth with his grown children to become an industrious farmer.”

 
5.      Connections

Gather other variations of the Rip Van Winkle tale such as:

                Littledale Freya’s and Michael Dooling. Rip Van Winkle. ISBN 0590431137
                Irving, Washington and Will Moses. Rip Van Winkle.  ISBN 0399231528

Can be used in a unit on Washington Irving with other variations of his tales such as:

                 Stemple, Brooks and Matt Willard. The Devil and Tom Walker on Story Jumper
                 Weissman, Joe and Bill Slavin. Truly Scary Stories for Fearless Kids includes
                      The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  ISBN1550139940

Use in a social studies unit on the American Revolution

Use in an American history lesson to discuss the differences in American History in 20-year leaps.  (e.g., What would Americans of 1980 think of America of 2000).

 

Go, Dog, Go! by P.D. Eastman

Go, Dog, Go! by P.D. Eastman

1.      Bibliography

 Eastman, P. D. Go, dog, go! New York: Random House, 2015. ISBN 0394800206

2.      Plot Summary

Dogs, dogs, dogs!  Dogs are everywhere in this delightful but educational early reader.  Dog’s come in many colors.  They are at play and at work.  They are going and staying.  This book introduces children to many words and concepts through fun and colorful drawings and story.  The dogs are big and little, in and out, up and down, and over and under.  The story also has a running joke that children will enjoy, “do you like my hat?”  The book culminates in a big dog party.  Children will enjoy pointing out all the activities going on throughout the book, especially at the big dog party.

3.      Critical Analysis

In the vein of Dr. Seuss’s One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish; this early reader strings together animals (dog’s in this instance) doing various things to introduce early words, numbers and other concepts.  This is one book in the series of I Can Read It All by Myself.  There is not much in the way of character development, plot or setting however, this is to be expected of an early reader which is mean to introduce words and concepts.  The exception is the running joke of “do you like my hat?”  The fact that this is the only running story helps to point out the joke and makes it all the more entertaining. And, while being simple, it will educate and delight children ages 3-7.

The illustrations are simple big and little dogs in a variety of sizes, colors and breeds.  The author/illustrator uses various methods to let the reader know if the dogs are on the move; smoke puffs behind the car, scarves streaming behind the dog and lines to show movement.  Other than the dog characters, there are relatively few additional props, mostly to show what the dogs are on, in, above and below.  However, when the reader gets to the dog party, there is a lot going on which makes for great discussion between care-giver and child.

4.      Review Excerpts

Top 100 Picture Books #28 by School Library Journal

Publisher’s Weekly #11 Best Selling Children’s Book

From Common Sense Media: “This a a total gem of a book for kids getting ready to read.”

From School Library Journal: The canine cartoons make an elementary text funny and coherent and still one of the best around.”

5.      Connections

Gather other books by P.D. Eastman such as:

                Are You My Mother? ISBN 0679890475
                The Best Nest.  ISBN 0394800516

Gather other books from the I Can Read it All By Myself series such as:

                Lopshire, Robert. Put Me in the Zoo. ISBN 0394800176
                Sadler, Marily and Roger Bollen. It’s Not Easy Being a Bunny. ISBN 0394861027
                McClintock, Mike Illustrated by Fritz Siebel. A Fly Went. By ISBN 0394800036

Use with a science unit on color or math unit on numbers:

                Dr. Seuss. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. ISBN 0394800133
                Dr. Seuss Illustrated by Roy McKie.  Ten Apple Up on Top! ISBN 0394800192
                Martin, Bill Jr. Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? ISBN 0805047905

Use with similar P.D. Eastman titles using the same characters such as:

                Red, Stop! Green, Go! ISBN 0375825037
                Big Dog…Little Dog. ISBN 0375875395
                Eastman, Peter (P.D.’s son). Fred and Ted Series

Gather other stories about dogs:

                Cole, Joanna and Calmenson, Stephanie Give a Dog a Bone: Stories, Poems, Jokes and Riddles about Dogs ISBN 0439087082
                Frith, Michael and P.D. Eastman. I’ll Teach My Dog 100 Words. ISBN 0394826922
                Perkins, Al Illustrated by Eric Gurney. The Digging-est Dog. ISBN 0394800478

Waiting Is Not Easy! by Mo Willems

Waiting Is Not Easy! by Mo Willems

        

1.      Bibliography

Willems, Mo. Waiting Is Not Easy! New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2014. ISBN 142319957X

2.      Plot Summary

Piggie has a surprise for Gerald the Elephant but it is not easy to wait for a surprise.  Even though Piggie assures Gerald that it will be worth the wait, Gerald gets frustrated and is not sure the surprise is worth the wait. Right when Gerald is sure the long wait was all for naught, Piggie shows him a surprise that is delightful and well worth the long wait. Then, Gerald tells Piggie of a delight he would like to share and Piggie says, “I cannot wait.”

3.      Critical Analysis

These two characters are friendly and predictable to children.  Gerald the anxious and frustrated elephant and Piggie the happy, smiling Pig are repeated in story after story with the predictability that children adore.  Their predictability allows the situations to be expected to young children.  Children know that something will occur that will bother Gerald but that things will always get resolved by the end of the story.  The meaning of the story, that somethings are worth the wait no matter how hard it is to wait, is easily grasped by children while entertaining them with Gerald and Piggie’s fun reactions to the situation.

Mo Willems graphics help tell the story.  Gerald is gray, as is his word balloon.  This is fitting to Gerald’s ‘gray’ attitude on life.  Piggie is pink, as is his word balloon.  His disposition is ‘pink’.  He is ‘in the pink’, so to speak.  Further, Gerald word balloon crushes Piggie when he Groans very loadly showing in an animated form how Gerald’s words and attitude make Piggie feel.  The characters are standing in a void of nothingness, making the waiting feel all the more boring.  However, when the surprise does come, it fills the page, adding to the wonder of the shared gift.

4.      Review Excerpts

From School Library Journal, “This original story is about friendship, but it also offers insights into human emotions.”

From Booklist (starred review), “Accessible, appealing, and full of authentic emotions about what makes friendships tick, these titles (Elephant and Piggie Series) will put a contemporary shine on easy reader collections.”

From Common Sense Media, “The title alone automatically connects with kids: WAITING IS NOT EASY! – especially in Elephant’s case, where you have no idea what you’re waiting for.”

From Kirkus Review, “A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends.”

5.      Connections

Gather more Elephant and Piggie Series books by Mo Willems such as:

                There is a Bird on Your Head (winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal) ISBN 1423106865
               Are Your Ready to Play Outside? (winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal) ISBN 1423113470
               We Are in a Book! (a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book) ISBN 1423133080

Gather other Mo Willems books, outside the Elephant and Piggie Series, such as:

               Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (a Caldecott Honor book) ISBN 078681988X
               Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale (a Caldecott Honor book) ISBN 0786818700
               Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity (a Caldecott Honor book) ISBN 1423102991

Gather other children’s books that feature friendship such as:

                Lobel, Arnold.  Frog and Toad series ISBN 0062292587
                Steig, William.  Amos & Boris ISBN 031253566X
                Hoban, Russell Illustrated by Lillian Hoban. Best Friends for Frances ISBN 0060838035

Use as part of a unit on emotions. Other books to use in the series include:

                Curtis, Jamie Lee Illustrated by Laura Cornell. Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods That Make My Day ISBN 0060245603
                Mulcahy, William. Zach Gets Frustrated ISBN 1575423901
                Silver, Gail Illustrated by Christiane Kromer. Steps and Stones: An Ahn’s Anger Story ISBN 1935209876

Use in a science unit for studying the stars and constellations

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear

By Lindsay Mattick Illustrated by Sophie Blackall

1.      Bibliography

Mattick, Lindsay, Sophie Blackall, and Katherine Kellgren. Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear. New York: Little, Brown, 2015.  ISBN 0316324906

2.      Plot Summary

A veterinarian from Canada goes off to care for the horses during World War I.  On the way to the front, he comes across a bear at a train station in White River.  He buys the bear and names him Winnipeg (or Winnie for short) after his hometown.  The veterinarian soldier takes the bear to Europe and the bear trains with his unit until it is time for them to ship off to war in France.  Knowing he cannot take the bear to war, the Captain donates the bear to the London zoo.  While at the zoo, a young boy comes to play and they become fast friends.  The boy’s father (A.A. Milne) writes stories that immortalize the bear (Winnie-the-Pooh) and his son’s (Christopher Robin) friendship.

3.      Critical Analysis

I believe that children who are old enough to have formed a connection with the characters of Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin will find this book especially appealing.  There is a great sense of joy in finding out that the story is about characters that are already known and loved and that they truly did exist.  The plot has an interesting twist.  You believe you are listening to a mother tell a story to her son about a man and his pet bear.  However, it takes a turn and ends up being about the true story of how the characters in the Winnie-the Pooh stories came to be and about the history of the mother and son team of story teller and listener.

Sophie Blackall’s illustrations are simple color drawing, almost to the point of being cartoon like.  The historical time period is mostly illustrated through the characters costume, such as the soldiers’ uniforms, and the surrounding environment such as the train and baby buggies.  I especially like the Wright Brother model biplane.  To show the two different stories included in the book, the front cover shows the bear Winnie hanging on the Captain’s leg.  Whereas, the back cover shows a stuffed bear (Winnie-the-Pooh) being dangled by a child.  And, of special value, the end notes have a photo album of the true characters from the story.

4.      Review Excerpts

Winner of the 2016 Caldecott Medal

            Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

From School Library Journal: “Children everywhere will enjoy this tale for years.  A must have.”

From Publisher’s Weekly: “The book strikes a lovely, understated tone of wonder and family pride.”

From The New York Times: “delightful telling of the story behind A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh.”

5.      Connections

Gather other books with famous bear characters such as:

Bond, Michael and Peggy Fortnum.  A Bear Called Paddington. ISBN 0062422758

Freeman, Don. Corduroy. ISBN 0140501738

Minarik, Elsa Holmelund and Maurice Sendak. Little Bear. ISBN 0064440044

Gather Winnie-the Pooh stories such as:

Milne, A.A.  Winnie-the-Pooh, Chaper 1. In Which We Are Introduced to Winnie the Pooh and Some Bees and the Stories Begin. ISBN 0525444432

 

           And watch the corresponding short film:

Walt Disney Productions.  Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. ASIN 0788807285

Gather other stories with veterinarian characters such as:

Herriot, James.  All Things Bright and Beautiful.  ISBN 1250058120

Spelmand, Lucy H. and Ted Y. Mashima. The Rhino with Glue-On Shoes: And Other Surprising True Stoes of Zoo Vets and their Patients. ISBN 0385341474

Trout, Nick. The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs. ISBN 1401310885

Use with a social studies unit on World War I or Ancestry

Use with a science unit on bears