"When Joseph was a baby, his grandfather made him a wonderful blanket..." So begins a merry double retelling of the tale in which the blanket becomes transformed into a wonderful jacket, then a vest, after that a tie, a handkerchief, a button and, as always, a wonderful story! The main tale set in an Eastern European village focuses upon each member of the human family and their activities inside and outside the two story house. A neatly planned sequence of frames across many lower pages shows a mouse family likewise using scraps falling through cracks in the floor above to make something from almost nothing. A charming language pattern establishes Grandfather's role as tailor. The paintings for each page of the 11 3/4" by 9" parallel stories were done in oil and egg tempera. Humor, ethnic details and a large typeface are combined in a marvelously entertaining new version of a terrific recycling tale with a twist. (Ages 4-9)

Joseph's grandfather transforms his blanket many times over the years, but what can be done when the final item is lost? Gilman's version of this Yiddish folk tale won the 1993 Ruth Schwartz Award.

When Joseph was a baby, his grandfather made him a wonderful blanket. But as Joseph grows older, the blanket becomes tattered and worn. Throw it out! cries Joseph's mother. Luckily, Grandpa is an extraordinary tailor. He can fix anything! And so with a snip! snip! here, and a few stitches there, Grandpa transforms the treasured blanket into a jacket, a vest, a Sabbath tie, a handkerchief, and finally a beautiful button. But when the button is lost, even Grandpa can't help. After all, how can you make something from nothing?In a rich and loving portrait of shtetl life, Phoebe Gilman presents a traditional Jewish folktale about family love and ingenuity that will warm the hearts of readers young and old.