Simms taback biography for kids

Simms Taback

Interview with the Year 2000 Caldecott Gold Medal Winner

Graphic artist Simms Taback is the award-winning author-illustrator of Joseph Had a Little Overcoat and many other books for children.

Joseph is based on a Yiddish folksong which Simms adapted and illustrated using colorful patchwork collages and diecut cut outs. The book tells a joyful tale of resourcefulness and recycling.Simms lives with his wife in upstate New York.

Where did the inspiration for Joseph Had a Little Overcoat come from?

The book spoke to my life as a kid.

Simms taback biography for kids

Yiddish was my first language. My parents weren't religious but they were left-wing working class Jews. I've dedicated the book to Alex Cohen who was my mother's youngest brother. He was just nine years older than me and went to graduate school at NYU.

He introduced me to songs by Pete Seeger and Hootenannys at Astor Place. My family was filled with this sense of tradition.

I grew up in a terrific neighborhood in the Bronx. We c