Books Worth Reading: Jim Aylesworth’s My Grandfather’s Coat

My Grandfather’s Coat is a rare pairing of author and illustrator that succeeds. The book matches intricate watercolor and pen and ink illustrations with sophisticated, lyrical yet accessible lines of text.

The book tells the story of the narrator’s grandfather who came to the United States in the early 20^th century. Much of the story comes solely through the vignettes depicted in pictures. The images are marvelously paired with the poetic story of the young tailor’s coat, which he made for his wedding. From a coat, which endures lots of use in the lean and cold first years of marriage, the tailor he tale was repurposes the material over the years to a jacket, vest, tie, and eventually cat toy for his great-grandson.

Whimsically, the reuse of the coat material does not end even with the cat toy; after the cat toy begins to fall apart, a mouse takes the material to build a nest, which is used until the nest molders away (which, naturally, may prompt a discussion with a curious child about what it means for something to “molder away”). Even then, the coat has not disappeared entirely, because, as the narrator says there is the story contained in the book.

Amidst the sartorial happenings, there is the human story told through vivacious pictures. Through the pictures, we see that the grandfather and his family are Jewish, displaying customs brought from the Old World. Through the pictures, we see the family life that develops and into which the narrator and later he son are born.

The Dream Team

The author, Jim Aylesworth, was born in Florida but moved around the United States as a child. Ultimately settling in the Midwest, he identifies strongly with his experience of Indiana farm life which he witnessed through summer visits to his grandparents.

What most marks Aylesworth’s style are his years as an elementary school teacher from the 1970s to the mid-1990s. In the classroom, Aylesworth learned what types of melodic and percussive sounds children responded to when books were read aloud. In many of his books, Aylesworth offers an appealing array of noise effects best appreciated when listening to the story out loud. My Grandfather’s Coat is no exception. Lines like these make music when read aloud:

My grandfather loved the coat, and he wore it, and he wore it. And little bit by little bit, he frayed it, and he tore it, until at last…he wore it out!

So what did my grandfather do?

He went right to work, and he snipped, and he clipped, and he stitched, and he sewed, and out of the still-good cloth of his handsome coat, he made…a smart jacket!

The melodic story is fun to read and enjoyable to listen to.

What really makes the story is, of course, the excellent illustrations rendered by Barbara McClintock. Her work evokes nostalgia that is a good fit for the story. She explains in a note at the end of the book that she drew inspiration for the illustrations from her present-day home in Connecticut, imagining an immigrant to New York City who may have moved to Connecticut and raised a family in the Jewish community there.

McClintock’s style is unique, the product of years of copying work from books and museums. Of her development as an artist, McClintock writes, “I’m essentially self-taught as an artist/illustrator, and can thank the public library system for my free education.”

With her characteristic attention to detail, McClintock accurately depicts fashions and technology in the four generations of the family depicted through the book. In a similar manner to Tasha Tudor or Elsa Beskow, McClintock incorporates detailed borders that enhance the visual interest without detracting from the main figures.

McClintock’s charming, life-like illustrations enhance Aylesworth’s writing much more than other collaborations the author has made (look at you Cock-a-doodle doo, Creak, Pop-pop, Moo).

Jewish roots

The inspiration for My Grandfather’s Coat is a Yiddish folksong. According to the dustjacket on the PJ Library edition of the book, the thrift and ingenuity of the grandfather embody the Jewish concept of ba’al tashchit, which means literally “do not destroy.” It’s odd to hear such commonsense reuse described as “ahead of it’s time” as if recycling and reusing were concepts only conceived of in an age of cheap excess. Regardless, this story of thrift and making do is a delightful one.

For their excellent collaboration, Aylesworth and McClintock were awarded the Sydney Taylor Book Award in 2015. The prize recognizes deserving books for children and teens that portray the Jewish experience. You can learn more about the collaboration and the award here.