January 18, 2000
Web posted at: 2:56 PM EST (1956 GMT)

In this story: 'Fun and great to do' A 'redo' success RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Jamie Allen
CNN Interactive Senior Writer

(CNN) -- Simms Taback says he didn't ever expect to win the American Library Association's Caldecott Medal recognizing the best illustrations in children's literature. Sure, he had taken a Caldecott honorable mention for his 1997 version of "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly."

But to win the medal -- that happened to other people.

Perhaps it's not ironic then that when it came time for the Caldecott folks to call Taback on Monday and tell him he had won the 2000 medal for his book "Joseph Had a Little Overcoat," they couldn't get through to him at his Sebastian, Florida, winter home.

"Then I heard from the PR person for the ALA, talking about my appearance on the 'Today' show," says Taback from publisher Viking Press' offices in Manhattan on Tuesday. "I was like, 'What are you talking about?' She said, 'Oh, you don't know!'

"I had to lay down, for about ten minutes, just to sort of ... wow," says Taback. "All you can say is, 'Wow, wow, wow.' You walk around the room for about ten minutes. 'Wow.'"

The ALA, along with readers of "Joseph Had a Little Overcoat," were wowed by Taback's work, illustrated in watercolor, gouache, pencil, ink, and collage. Based on a Yiddish song from Taback's youth, the tale revolves around a resourceful and resilient tailor who transforms his worn-out overcoat into smaller and smaller garments.

"Vibrant rich colors, playful details, and skillfully-placed die cuts contribute to the book's raucous merriment that takes this Yiddish folk song far beyond the simple words," said Barbara Z. Kiefer, chair of the Caldecott Award Selection Committee.

Taback, 67, splits his time between Florida and his home in Woodstock, New York. He and his wife have three grown children and three grandkids, with another on the way. He says he has been an illustrator for years.

"I have about 35 or 40 books that I've done through the years -- all kinds, novelty books, trade books, a mix of things," he says.

It wasn't until around 1994 when he took to illustrating children's books as a career.

"I never acknowledged it as a way of making a living," he says. "I would do them because they were always fun and great to do. But I never expected them to make serious income from that."

That changed when "Old Lady" received the Newbery Honor, increasing sales of the book. When Viking asked Taback for a follow-up title, he says he thought of "Joseph Had a Little Overcoat," a story that he had already published over 20 years ago.

Though it didn't sell well at the time, the early version of "Joseph" was popular with those who bought it. Taback says he received many letters over the years from readers who loved the work.

"After 'Old Lady' I showed this earlier version (of 'Joseph') to my publisher," says Taback. "I said, 'What if I redo this?' I made all new illustrations for it ... and I just lucked out. I feel a little vindicated in a certain sense."

Now, following the Caldecott news, "Joseph" is going into a second printing of 100,000, nearly tripling its first printing.

Meantime, Taback is enjoying the spotlight. He flew to New York on Monday, appeared on NBC's "Today" on Tuesday morning, and his publisher is throwing a party for him on Thursday.

"I'm overwhelmed, as you can expect," says Taback.