A Caldecott Medal book, Taback's inventive use of die-cut pages shows off his 1977 adaptation of a Yiddish folk song. The story unravels as swiftly as the threads of Joseph's well-loved, patch-covered plaid coat. A flip of the page allows children to peek through as Joseph's tailoring produces items of decreasing size.

When Joseph loses the last remnant of the coat, a button, he decides to make a book about it, "Which shows... you can always make something out of nothing." With its effective repetition and an abundance of visual humor, this book is tailor-made for reading aloud. All ages.