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  • My Grandfather's Coat

My Grandfather's Coat

Illustrator
Barbara McClintock
Publication Date
October 21, 2014
Genre / Grade Band
Fiction /  2nd − 3rd
Language
English
Format
Picture Book
My Grandfather's Coat

Only 1 copies currently available
Description
A rollicking, rhyming, fun rendition of a favorite folk song about a many-times recycled coat by the award-winning, bestselling team of Aylesworth and McClintock. Full color.
Publication date
October 21, 2014
Genre
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780439925457
Lexile Measure
810
Publisher
Scholastic Press
BISAC categories
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV048000 - Juvenile Fiction | Clothing & Dress
Library of Congress categories
Folklore
Europe, Eastern
Coats

School Library Journal

Starred Review

PreS-Gr 2--This new adaptation of the Yiddish folk song presented in Simms Taback's Joseph Had a Little Overcoat (Viking, 1999) and Phoebe Gilman's Something from Nothing (Scholastic, 1992) is a fresh rhythmic retelling with charming cartoon-style illustrations that deserves a place even in collections that own the other two. Aylesworth's story, told in the voice of the main character's granddaughter, recounts highlights of her grandfather's life: coming to America, becoming a tailor, and making himself "a handsome coat...that he wore on his wedding day!" The worn coat becomes "a smart jacket"; the shabby jacket, "a snazzy vest"; the frayed vest, "a stylish tie." In this version, the threadbare tie is transformed into a toy for a great grandson's kittens, then a cozy nest for a mouse and her babies. As in both older versions, this one features repetition and a rhyming refrain. McClintock's pen-and-ink detailed watercolor illustrations highlight four generations of family history. Following the title-page scene that shows ships streaming toward Ellis Island, then a photolike pose of grandfather as a boy on deck passing the Statue of Liberty, the story unfolds in two-to-three small vignettes per page, each accompanied by a snippet of text, with a full-page scene at each major juncture. The paintings highlight McClintock's special skill for aging grandpa. Her eye for detail is apparent in ever-changing clothing styles; in a sole coming loose from young grandpa's shoe; and the evolution of his sewing machines from treadle to modern motorized. This is a tale worth reading again and again.--Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

Based on the Yiddish folksong "I Had a Little Overcoat," this splendid tale chronicles four generations. Aylesworth and McClintock (who collaborated on Our Abe Lincoln) perform a lovely pas de deux, from a boy's arrival at Ellis Island ("He came alone and with little more than nothing at all") to his story being shared with a great-grandson. In America, the young man becomes a tailor and, for his wedding, "He snipped, and he clipped, and he stitched, and he sewed, and he made for himself a handsome coat." The midnight-blue, knee-length coat serves him for years, "until at last.../ he wore it out!" In meticulous panels, McClintock pictures the man and his wife working and caring for a daughter, who grows up to have a daughter of her own, and so on. Aylesworth repeats the snipping-and-clipping, stitching-and-sewing formula, with the grandfather altering his coat into "a smart jacket," "a snazzy vest," and finally "a stylish tie that he wore on my mother's wedding day!" Warmth emanates from this thoughtful book, which deserves to become a multigenerational family favorite. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)

Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Jim Aylesworth
Barbara McClintock has written and/or illustrated over 40 distinguished books for children. Emma and Julia Love Ballet which she wrote and illustrated, received three starred reviews, and My Grandfather's Coat, retold by Jim Aylesworth, also received three starred reviews and was named a Sydney Taylor Honor Book. Her books have five times been named New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books. She has received a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, as well as a myriad of other awards and honors. Barbara lives in Connecticut with her family and their four very graceful cats.
Jim Aylesworth tells his stories with generous doses of out loud sounds, rhythms, and rhymes. His twenty-five-year teaching career taught him exactly what children love best in a story. He lives in Chicago, Illinois, with his wife.
Sydney Taylor Book Award
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Winner 2015 - 2015
Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens
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Recommended 2015 - 2015
Texas 2x2 Reading List
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Recommended 2015 - 2015
Red Clover Award
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Nominee 2016 - 2016
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