Subjects:  1. Agriculture & Animal Husbandry - General    2. Agriculture - General    3. Children's All Ages    4. Children: Grades 2-3    5. Farm life    6. General    7. Juvenile literature    8. Seasons    9. Specimens    10. Toy and movable books   

Reviews (2)

Nietzsche's choice
In a letter to his friend Franz Overbeck dated 14, November, 1879, Nietzsche says, "If you do not know the latest book by Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, it would be a pleasure for me to make you a little present of it."
Tom and Huck
I LOvED this Book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Fiction    3. Finn, Huckleberry (Fictitious    4. Finn, Huckleberry (Fictitious character)    5. Literature - Classics / Criticism    6. Mississippi River    7. Runaway children    8. Sawyer, Tom (Fictitious charac    9. Sawyer, Tom (Fictitious character)    10. Fiction / Classics   

Editorial Review

In all Mildred D. Taylor's unforgettable novels she recounts "not onlythe joy of growing up in a large and supportive family, but my own feelings ofbeing faced with segregation and bigotry." Her Newbery Medal-winning Read more

Reviews (432)

Confusion
I never quite understood why everyone seemed to love this book so much. I read it, along with my entire grade, in seventh grade, and found the book to be annoying. I was especially annoyed by flawed characters, and a not very impressive writing style.
Very disappointed...
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor was a very disappointing book. There is no particular story; the book starts rising action here and there and down again here and there. There is no specific climax. Basically, it's like there's no story. What I also hated about this book was the ending and the fact that there was no moral in the story. The book was full of cliches from every chaper by chaper. Each chapter was too long( this is not a dumb complaint). Instead of just starting a new chapter, Taylor just skips a line to basically start a new chapter. I'm sorry if this doesn't make sense to you.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Searching for a book to read that Beautifully Infiltrates...Gracefully Relates...Lovingly Displays...Proudly Annunciates...then Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry is the answer. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Afro-Americans    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Classics    5. Fiction    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Race relations    8. Social Issues - Prejudice & Racism    9. Southern States    10. Juvenile Fiction / People & Places / United States   

Editorial Review

Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; "It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses which were so thick, that they matted together.... 'No wonder it is still,' Mary whispered. 'I am the first person who has spoken here for ten years.'" As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin's sour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid to live and love, Read more

Reviews (225)

All Time Favorite
The Secret Garden, along with A Little Princess, also by Frances Hodgson Burnett, is one of my favorite books from childhood. I still enjoy reading this book as an adult and reliving the fairy tale of two young children who "bloom" and grow, along with the garden. The metaphor is simple, but the charm and beauty of this tale make it a classic. I can't wait until my two daughters are old enough to enjoy it. Highly recommended.

The Secret Garden
When the little, frail, ugly looking girl from India came to the manor she looked so sad.I watched her at first from a distance, as she was so cold to everyone she came into contact with.I heard one of the gardeners say that her parents had died and she now had to live here, in the Misselthwaite Manor.The Manor has miles of nothing but moor.I think it is heaven with nothing but open land to fly through.It is beautiful, but not all see it like this, especially little miss Mary.
The Secret Garden
Mary Lennox ia a very dull child in the beginning but when she get sent to Misslthwaite Manor she learns about respect and there's more to life than just laying around and being lazy. She also learns about her uncle and her family's intrest's. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Classics    4. Family - Orphans & Foster Homes    5. Fiction    6. Gardens    7. Historical - Europe    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Orphans    10. People & Places - Europe    11. Physically handicapped    12. Juvenile Fiction / Classics   

Editorial Review

This award-winning novel remains a powerful classic of prejudice,love,and survival. In 1942, 11-year-old Phillip Enright lives with his parents on the Dutch island of Curaçao, but when the war moves too close forcomfort, his mother decides to travel with him back to the safety of Virginia. When their boat is torpedoed, however, Phillip is blinded and finds himself adrift on a life raft with an old black man and a cat. They eventually land on a deserted island.Phillip is suspicious of "the large Negro," but soon grows to trust--and ultimately love--the patient and generous Timothy. Dedicated to "Dr. King's Dream," Read more

Reviews (521)

Solid, well-done fiction -a teacher's review
'The Cay' is a wonderful little bit of fiction. It has action, is well-written and contains such themes as overcoming racism, sacrifice and resourcefulness. Its quick-moving plot and easy to read style should make it accessible to almost anyone.
Why this book inspired me
This book inspired me by perservering.The young boy on the island never gave up after he became blind.For example, he asked the elderly man to show him how to survive on the island.This helped me in school because even though something might happen to me I shouldn't give up.

An Excellent Book
The Cay, by Theodore Taylor is an extremely exciting book, which could be read by ages 10 and up because it does not have very hard vocabulary, and it is easy to understand. This book takes place on the island of Curacao in the Caribbean, during World War Two. Philip, who is a preteen lives on Curacao is from Virginia, and lives on the island with his mother, and father. German submarines have surrounded the island and were destroying boats that were trying to get off the island. When Philips mother gets scared that the Germans will attack the island, she wants to get back to the United States with Philip. When their boat leaves, the Germans do not torpedo them...yet. Philip ends up on a raft with an old colored deckhand from the boat. He is old, and is named Timothy, who is from the U.S. Virgin Islands. They keep drifting for around a week and then end up on a, small remote island that is in an area called the "Devils Mouth." Timothy has excellent survival skills. I definitely would recommend this book to anyone who likes, suspenseful exciting books. I think both boys and girls would like this book. Overall a great book that many people would like. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure - General    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Fiction    5. Friendship    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Prejudices    8. Social Issues - Prejudice & Racism    9. Social Issues - Special Needs    10. Survival    11. Juvenile Fiction / People & Places / Other   

Reviews (79)

Wonderful Book Props to Twain
This is my first time reading a Mark Twain classic, but it will not be my last!This book was an adventure all the way through.Like when Finn ran from his dad.I found it to be on of the most was awesome sections of the book, in my opinion, because it is like most kid think about it but he really had the guts to do it.
A must read book
I've read this book many times over the last 48 years and I find something new every time. Buy it. Read it again. When I read it at age 10 I enjoyed the story and had my eyes opened to history. Later the history and morality became the primary point. But always there is the humor of Twain and the magnificent angel on earth that is Huck. I have a hard time thinking of them as one person. Huck is a person allon his own.
Huck and Jim's fearful journey "down the river"
I can't even say for sure how many times (four? five?) I've read "Huckleberry Finn," but each time I notice something new and admire something different. Having read several biographical accounts of Mark Twain's life in recent years, however, I learned some background that explains an aspect of the book that always puzzled me: how a book that is a sequel to an adventure story for boys seems to be of a different genre entirely.
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Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Classics    3. Fiction    4. Finn, Huckleberry (Fictitious    5. Finn, Huckleberry (Fictitious character)    6. Literary    7. Literature - Classics / Criticism    8. Male friendship    9. Mississippi River    10. Runaway children    11. Twain, Mark 1835-1910    12. Fiction / Classics   

Reviews (49)

Recommended with Caution!
My daughter was also very upset by this book when it was read to her in Kindergarten. My mother was terminally ill at the time and this book (because of its ending) was very hard for her to take. She had nightmares about "the little old lady" for months after hearing this story. While it is a good example of early literary rhythm and ryhme, there are lots of other good ones too, including take offs on this book minus the depressing ending.

Excellent visuals!
I couldn't resist buying this book for my 1 1/2 year old son, even though I new it would be ripped to shreds in the hands of a toddler. Well, it has become shreds, but not out of destruction. He carries this book everywhere and we find him flipping th pages on his own! He LOVES it and so does my husband and I because the visuals are so colorful and stimulating. You can see through the woman's stomach, you can see all of the animals, you can sing the book. It is definitely a family favorite! I'm buying a second copy to save for his elementary years.

A well loved favourite
I adored this book as a child and my daughter does too. The only fault of this book is that it is quite large and heavy, yet my daughter manages to drag it around anyhow. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Kindergarten    4. Folk songs    5. Folk songs, English    6. Humorous Stories    7. Specimens    8. Texts    9. Toy and movable books    10. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Adaptations    11. Nursery rhymes    12. Picture books   

Editorial Review

Fourteen-year-old Shawn McDaniel loves the taste of smoked oysters andhis mother's gentle hugs. Unfortunately, it's impossible for Shawn to feedhimself or to hug his mom back. Shawn has cerebral palsy, a condition he has hadsince birth that has robbed him of all muscle control. He can't walk, talk, oreven focus his eyes on his own. But despite all these handicaps, despite thefrustration of not being able to communicate, Shawn is still happy to be alive: "Somehow all the things I think about and remember turn to joy... favoritemovies... pinecones... chocolate pudding... the scent of Comet in a stainlesssteel sink.... Life can be great, even for me. Even for me." That is why hepanics when he begins to suspect that his father is thinking of killing him.Shawn knows that his father is trying to be kind; he imagines that his son'slife is an endless torment. His dad has no idea of the rich life that Shawnlives inside his head. And Shawn, helpless and mute, has no way of tellinghim.Read more

Reviews (174)

Stuck In Nuetral
Stuck In Neutral is a must read for anyone in any age group. The story is about a boy named Shawn who is 14-years old. Shawn was born with Cerebral Palsy. His dad, Sydney E. McDaniel, left him when he was just a baby. Sidney E. McDaniel wrote a poem about his son a while after he left.He then won a Pulitzer Prize and got really famous. In the beginning of the book Shawn stated that because his dad didn't like that his son has a disorder, that he was going to "end his pain."
Not so great
I woudn't recommend this book to anyone because it gets a little redundent.The story is about a boy wh was born with a busted blood vessel in his brain that affected his abiliy to move a single muscle,which takes a real toll on his family.They live in a small tow in seattle,with practicly no father because he is to busy on TV shows and adio shows because of his poetry about his son.So his dad can't take it anymore and he decides to end the boys suffering by killing him.The story is told in the boys eyes and we soon realize that the boy is not really suffering but he cant tell his dad that because of his problem with his brain.And we are the only people who get to see this side,the only peple who get to hear him speak.Read the book to ind out the ending.

Stuck in neutral
Stuck in Neutral, by Terry Trueman, is a book about a kid named Shawn McDaniel. Shawn is a 14-year old kid who is fully paralyzed. Although he can't move or talk, Shawn is intelligent. He can remember anything he hears without meaning to remember it.
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Subjects:  1. Cerebral palsy    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Euthanasia    5. Fiction    6. Health & Daily Living - General    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Physically handicapped    9. Social Issues - Emotions & Feelings    10. Social Issues - Special Needs    11. Juvenile Fiction / Health & Medicine   

Reviews (91)

Welcome Back
it's about a story for Mildred d.taylor a sequel to the road to memphis its about cassie logan and her brothers . Moe turner comes back from chicgon with uncel Hammber by suprise to cassie and her brothers and Mr.simm's Heard the news and trys to go after him and the Logans family .

Better than the first by far!
I read the book Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry in class, and thought that was good until I read the sequel. More action, more suspense, more everything! Mildred Talyor puts a suprise into every sentence. I found myself hating some characters with all my heart and supporting other characters aloud without realizing it. I reccommend Let The Circle Be Unbroken to anybody over the age of ten.

Let the Circle Be Unbroken Review by Kristy
Let the Circle Be Unbroken
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Subjects:  1. Afro-Americans    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Fiction    5. Mississippi    6. People & Places - United States - African-American    7. Race relations    8. Juvenile Fiction / People & Places / United States   

Reviews (19)

A glimpse of childhood
This is a beautiful book with gorgeous pictures.I remember having this book as a very young girl (75 years ago), and I wanted it for my first great-granddaughter.I searched locally for a coppy with no success, and felt very fortunate to find this lovely book through Amazon.Thanks!I hope Gabriella, who will turn 3 on July 29th, enjoys this book as I did my copy so many years ago.

A beautiful book
"A Child's Garden of Verses", illustrated by Tasha Tudor, is a beautiful book.The poems are so memorable, they are just the thing to get a small child interested in the magic of language and books.Especially perfect to read aloud and share the pictures.Tasha Tudor's illustrations perfectly capture the magic of the poems.They are just joyous.A meaningful and lasting gift for the very young.

Wonderful Poems for Children
A nice edition of an old favorite. These charming little poems for children by Robert Louis Stevenson will stay with them for a lifetime. We are reading them to our one-year old already. Terrific color illustrations, nicely bound, easy-to-read, large print. These poems will open a whole new, wonderful, magical world for the little ones lucky enough to get to know them. The poems have a timeless appeal. They may be read throughout childhood, and the rest of life for that matter, with great delight. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Poetry / Plays    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children's poetry    4. Children's poetry, Scottish    5. Children: Kindergarten    6. Classics    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Poetry - General    9. Scottish poetry    10. Classic fiction    11. Early learning / early learning concepts    12. Juvenile Fiction / Classics   

Reviews (35)

Hilarious family heirloom!
My mother picked this book up at a yard sale for a quarter when my son was an infant. I began reading it to him, and then my other 2 children when they were old enough. It is a family favorite in our house. My 13 year old son just found it, packed away for safe-keeping, and informed me "it's story night tonight!" They all love to get involved by helping make the voices (because there absolutely has to be different ones for each animal!) and it is one big laugh from start to finish! I would (and do) recommend this book to everyone who reads to their kids!

My ALL TIME Favorite Childrens Book!
I remember my Mom reading this book to me when I was very young, and now I have the extreme pleasure of reading it to my 3 boys 30 years later!!! It is a fabulous rolliking, rhyming tale of all the animals in the jungle pleading with the elephant not to sneeze...it calls for all sorts of silly voices & is a joy to read! My 3 year old finishes the sentences now & mimics the voice I use. It is a family treasure from my childhood & I am so lucky to have found it again!

Fantastic book!
What a cute book this is!The poor elephant really, really has to sneeze but all his "buddies" beg him not to.You see, the last time he sneezed he blew all the stripes off the zebra, blew the bees' stingers out and they "had to make do with rose thorns and glue," blew all the fur off the bear, and turned the crocodile's nose inside out.The pictures are darling, the poor guy is doing everything he can from blowing out the sneeze and it's just really cute.He even has his trunk suspended in water.However, it's the mouse that scares him silly out of sneezing and then, when given the logic of an elephant being afraid of something so small as a mouse, the elephant starts to laugh and laugh.Pretty soon, the mouse has to tell him to stop because the elephant's laugh wreaks havoc as well.Such a cute book and we have to read it "all the time" in this house.Great story and I highly recommend it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Babies & Toddlers    4. Fiction    5. General    6. Preschool Picture Story Books    7. Stories in rhyme    8. Juvenile Nonfiction / Poetry / General   

Reviews (122)

One of the Most Magical Books You'll Ever Read
"A Little Princess" is one of the most wonderful, most magical books ever to be found in the world of literature--and you don't have to be a little kid to enjoy it. This book appeals to people of all ages. You don't even have to be a little girl, either. Boys will likely find this book charming as well. It's full of warmth, charm, hardship, and perseverance in the face of adversity.
My Granddaughter Loves This Story
The title says it all. She wanted this book for her birthday, even though she's read the story before. Now it's hers to read whenever she wants.

Better than Sappy
A Little Princess follows the story of Sara Crewe, a young girl whose mother died when she was a baby and who has been sent to bording school.She has the finest clothes and toys and anything she wants but isn't spoiled (the story is a fairy tale, by the way).She imagines herself as a princess and wants to be kind wise and just.She does good deeds as her way of "scattering largess to the population."This results in her being the social butterfly of the bording school and earns her the animosity of its queen bee.All this changes in an instant when her fortune is lost and she becomes a scullery maid in the same boarding school.She works all day, sleeps in an unheated attic, and is underfed.She now imagines herself as a princess in disguise, and continues to try and do good deeds for anyone less fotunate.But now she has another identity too - a soldier, like her father, who must live on rations and bravely face each day.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Classics    5. Family - Orphans & Foster Homes    6. Fiction    7. Girls & Women    8. Orphans    9. Schools    10. Classic fiction    11. Juvenile Fiction / Classics   

Editorial Review

Halloween is coming, and Sylvie Ann wants to make a pumpkin moonshine(or jack-o'-lantern), so she sets out across her Grandmummy and Grandpawp'scornfields to find "the very finest and largest pumpkin." Once she finds it, theproblem is how to get it home. This fine, large pumpkin is so big, Sylvie Anncan't carry it. So she rolls it across the field, like a snowball in winter,until she reaches the edge of the field where the ground slopes down. Andsuddenly, the pumpkin begins running away down the hill! Can Sylvie catch itbefore it frightens the goats, terrifies the hens, enrages the geese, and bumpsinto Mr. Hemmelskamp who is carrying a pail full of whitewash? Read more

Reviews (6)

Another JEWEL....
Through the years I have purchased many Tasha Tudor books for family and friends; all have deserved a FIVE STAR rating as far as I am concerned.Her delightful illustrations have been outstanding and reflect the story content almost "word-for-word".
Kids will love this non frightening Halloween book.
My mother read this book to me as a child.It was out of print for a while, but this new printing is excellent.The illustrations (same as orginal version) are superb and the text is quaint but clever enough to keep the attention of small kids or new readers.Highly recommended for Halloween or year round.

Pumpkin Moonshine - 60 years later!
If you've never carved a "Pumpkin Moonshine" you've missed a wonderful part of Halloween. As a little girl, Tasha Tudors delightful story was a favorite of mine. My children grew up carving pumpkins, not into jack-o-lanterns, but into Pumpkin Moonshines. The "grands" now enjoy grandmothers love for the season and the wonderful "Pumpkin Moonshine" with the re-release of this beautiful little book to be loved by all. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Grades 1-2    3. Farm life    4. Fiction    5. Halloween    6. Holidays & Celebrations - Halloween    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Pumpkin    9. Pumpkins    10. Juvenile Fiction / Holidays & Festivals / Halloween   

Reviews (1)

Remember the days
when you used to find a nice quiet spot, away from all disturbances
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Subjects:  1. Children's All Ages - Literature    2. Children's Books/All Ages    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Classics    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    7. Juvenile Fiction / Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magic   

Editorial Review

There's something to be said for a book that makes you wish you'd been part of a poor immigrant family living in New York's upper east side on the eve of World War I. Sydney Taylor's time-honored classic does just that. Life is rich for the five mischievous girls in the family. They find adventure in visiting the library, going to market with Mama, even dusting the front room. Young readers who have never shared a bedroom with four siblings, with no television in sight, will vicariously experience the simple, old-fashioned pleasures of talk, make-believe, and pilfered penny candy.The family's Jewish faith strengthens their ties to each other, while providing still more excitement and opportunity for mischief. Readers unfamiliar with Judaism will learn with the girls during each beautifully depicted holiday. This lively family, subject of four more "all-of-a- kind" books, is full of unique characters, all deftly illustrated by Helen John. Taylor based the stories on her own childhood family, and the true-life quality of her writing gives this classic its page-turning appeal. Read more

Reviews (74)

Sweet story for girls into historical fiction
My daughter just received this book and just loved it.I read it as well.The general plot has been well outlined by other posters, but what I wanted to add was that it's a great read for girls who are interested in historical fiction.For intance, my daughter has loved all the American Girl stories. This story takes place at the turn of the century, about when the American Girl "Samantha" story takes place.Samantha and the All-of-a-kind Family girls live at the same time in the same city, they just come from very opposite socio-economic backgrounds, which makes for an interesting and educational read.I liked that my daughter could read about different religious traditions than our own in simple terms that explain holidays and customs in age appropriate ways.Even though the family is poor and has no money for luxuries we don't get the feeling that anyone is going without food or proper care.The family may be poor, but the mother is portrayed as a strong proud woman nevertheless.I'm sure to look for the other books in this series.

A respite for girls
I had heard good things about this book and since we're going to the Lower Eastside later this week, I thought my daughter might enjoy it.I picked it up at the library and worried, when I saw it, that she might not be terrifically interested in it:the cover art is old fashioned and I was afraid she might think it was too "young" for her.We read the first couple of chapters together and then, on her own, she devoured the rest of it and asked me to find all of the sequels.It's a beautiful book: simple and affecting and a fascinating source of information about Jewish life and culture, although not in any way preachy or didactic.I was so grateful for this book, such a nice break in the long line of books written for 9-12 year olds these days--good, well-written novels--that seem to focus chiefly on loss:a dying mother, a missing father, a loss of a childhood friend...I think the book was deeply comforting for my girl and I recommend it highly.

Family Values Of Yesteryear
I ordered this book so that my children and grandchildren could have the same experience I had as a little girl in Mississippi in the 1950's reading about a close family of young Jewish girls in New York.This book (and the series related to it) has lost none of its charm and pull to the heartstrings!Thanks, Ms Taylor and Amazon for helping me find a lost part of my childhood! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Historical    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Family - General    5. Family life    6. Fiction    7. Historical - United States - 20th Century    8. New York (N.Y.)    9. Religious - Jewish    10. Juvenile Fiction / Family / General   

Reviews (6)

An interesting journey, takes its sweet time though
Huckleberry Finn, best friend of Tom Sawyer, runs away from his brutal, white-trash father for an easy-going life of floating down the Missisippi river on a raft. But just as he sets out he meets up with runaway slave Jim. Their escape and adventure they have together as with each mooring of the raft they encounter a new problem, friend, fued or foe. Each and every time Huck manages to worm out of the situation by telling huge lies so he can get back to the raft, escaping one fine mess to end up in another.
The Best Work of Mark Twain
The most charming element of Mark Twain's writings is that he masques his utter disdain at the defects and foibles of society under a superficial layer of humour. Indeed the simmering screen of wit and hilarisity so readily associated with this great 19th.century American novelist lends an air of deceit to his work. Now,humour and comic satire have always been great writers' subtle instruments to deflate the ever-expanding balloon of society's corrupt lifestyle and the gift of employing boisterous means to mirror moral decay is firmly exploited by Mark Twain in his remarkable novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn",arguably the best work of the author.
ok
This book interest meh because it has everything that I look for in a book. It has comedy, drama and suspense. It takes us down the Mississippi River, running through trouble and adventures every step of the way. While the main characters, Huck and Jim goes further and further away, they realize that their's more to friendship than their eyes see.
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Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Fiction    3. Finn, Huckleberry (Fictitious    4. Finn, Huckleberry (Fictitious character)    5. Literature - Classics / Criticism    6. Male friendship    7. Mississippi River    8. Runaway children    9. Twain, Mark 1835-1910    10. 19th century fiction    11. Classic fiction    12. Fiction / General    13. Modern fiction    14. Reading Group Guide   

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8    2. Children's poetry    3. Children: Preschool    4. General    5. Nursery rhymes    6. Fiction    7. Picture books    8. Poetry / Nursery Rhymes   

Editorial Review

When Joseph's favorite overcoat gets old and worn, he makes a jacket out of it. When the jacket is more patches than jacket, Joseph turns it into a vest. When the vest's number is up, Joseph makes a scarf. This thrifty industry continues until there's nothing left of the original garment. But clever Joseph manages to make something out of nothing! (And that's the foreshadowed moral of the story.)Read more

Reviews (42)

A piece for all Ages
In 1977 Simms Taback wrote Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, but for many years after its initial publication he remained disappointed with the overall presentation of the story (Publishers Weekly 10/99) and in 1999 created a newly illustrated version which won the prestigious Caldecott Medal.The story is based on a favorite Yiddish folktale from the author's youth entitled, "I had a Little Overcoat".The general plot is relatively straightforward and quickly becomes quite comical as time progresses.Joseph, the main character, transforms a ratty old overcoat into a variety of different clothing items.He changes the coat into a jacket, a vest, a scarf, a tie, a handkerchief, and finally, a button.As the story concludes, Joseph loses the button, and rather than giving up completely, he decides to create a book about it, proving to his readers that you can always make something out of nothing.The story's theme directly correlates with the author's own illustrative style as he creates Joseph's unique world from an assortment of parts and pieces using a range of media.