Something from Nothing- Picture Book #6

The Book
Gilman, P. (1992). Something from Nothing. Toronto, ON: Scholastic Canada Ltd.

Summary
Something from Nothing is an adaptation of a Jewish folktale. This story is about a boy named Joseph and the blanket that was made for him when he was a baby by his grandfather. Joseph loves this blanket but as he gets older the blanket gets older too. Whenever it becomes unusable Joseph takes it to his grandfather as he knows he can fix it, and every time Joseph brings him the blanket he makes something new out of it. His grandfather turns the blanket into a succession of things; a jacket, a vest, a tie, a handkerchief, and finally a button. When Joseph loses the button he soon realizes that even his grandpa can't make something from nothing. Joseph then discovers that he can make one last thing out of the blanket, a wonderful story. 

Response
This was a really cute story! I really enjoyed the beautifully done illustrations. The illustrations do a great job of showing what Joseph's life was like and the different activities in it. I also liked how the domestic life of a family of mice is featured on the bottom of each page. The mice's life often mirrors Joseph's and I think it adds a whole new perspective to the story. The message in this book is great and I loved the ending. It really shows you that something can be made out of nothing and I think it would motivate children to write their own stories. It would be a great book to use in the classroom for many different activities.There are so many different stories in this book and I loved the relationship Joseph had with his grandfather. I found their relationship really touching and think kids would be able to relate to this story in many different ways. It gives the reader a good look at what life was like many many years ago and allows them to see that it`s not the material possession that's important but the story it tells.

Awards received/Reader's advisory information
This book is the winner of the Ruth Schwartz Award and the Sydney Taylor Award. I do not know the years it won these awards. The themes in this book are storytelling, family relationships, transformation, making something from nothing and life in a Jewish community in the olden days.  I think this is a story that can be enjoyed by all ages but if I have to specify I think it would be an excellent read for children 5-12 years old. It would also be great to use in grades 1-5 for a novel study or in a thematic unit.