This book is full of holes - literally! Simms Taback explains in a note to the reader that this Caldecott Medal winner book is adapted from a Yiddish folk song he knew when he was little. The font looks almost like handwriting and is an eye-catching yellow, popping off of the black bordered pages. The words read much like a song and repeat the pattern of "Joseph had a little _______, but it got old and worn." Your child will quickly learn the formula and be able to join right in. The real fun of this book, however, is in the cutouts of all different sizes. Each hole reveals a snippet of the next page, and it's fun to guess what the pattern may be part of when you turn the page. The collage aspect of the pictures is fun too, as pictures of real fabric are patched onto Joseph's coat, tiny photos of flowers adorn the hillside, real veggies are spread across another hill, and the Jewish books and magazines sprawled throughout Joseph's house have tiny phrases and titles you can really read.
You can challenge your child to name all of the collage pictures, or notice that the pictures in Joseph's house move their eyes so that they are always watching him. This is a very hands-on book, as the cutouts are cleverly blended in, so your child will literally want to feel each page to find the cutout and assure they didn't miss one. The first time they read this, they can join in the fun by guessing what the next article of clothing Joseph will make. Once they already know, you can challenge them to play the same game with a completely different article of clothing, such as a dress that could become an apron, then a skirt, then shorts, and then a rag for dusting. These sorts of interactive games helps impress upon your little one the main message of the book, "You can always make something out of nothing."
When I read this book to my five-year-old friend Nick, as soon as he realized that the pages had cut outs, he insisted on holding the book in his lap so he could feel each cut out and put his fingers through them. Nick brought up an excellent point when he said, "Why didn't Joseph make a belt?"
--Audra
