Joseph and His Magnificent Coat of Many Colors [Paperback]

Marcia Williams (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 1994 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Using a colorful, comic-strip format, this entertaining retelling of the biblical story follows Joseph's adventures, from his father's gift of a magnificent coat, to his slavery in Egypt, to his rise to power and reconciliation with his family.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Williams's exhilarating art, an uncommon blend of the primitive and the refined, illuminates the biblical story of favorite son Joseph, whose father gives him a glorious coat--here artfully embellished with rows of rabbits, fish, stars and circles. Sold to travelers by his jealous brothers, Joseph becomes a slave in Egypt, where he impresses the Pharaoh with his ability to interpret dreams. When the young man warns that famine will follow years of plenty, he is appointed governor of Egypt, and eventually forgives his brothers and saves them from starvation. Intricate, variegated borders surround the three or four illustrated horizontal panels that fill most of these festive pages. Williams smoothly distills Joseph's saga, and sprinkles her pictures with contemporary dialogue and asides that make the tale all the more accessible to young readers. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-- The story of Joseph is essentially a folk novel, and thus well suited to Williams's exuberant folk-art treatment. In strip-cartoon fashion, Joseph's adventurous life unfolds, with unflagging decorative verve. A playful humor touches everything, from the oversized coat to the speech-balloon comments of minor characters (siblings, prisoners, courtiers, et al.). Williams succinctly relates the events, avoiding some tricky bits (Potiphar's wife's seduction attempt, the cup hidden in Benjamin's pack). The pictorial style is naive-Egyptian, with hieroglyphical borders and simplified forms. Abundant color and lively design make an eye-filling impression. --Patricia Dooley, University of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; 1st U.S. Paperback Ed edition (January 3, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156402265X
• ISBN-13: 978-1564022653
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 7.4 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,666,590 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marcia Williams is famous for her retellings of classic stories. From Shakespeare and Dickens to the Canterbury Tales and Greek Myths, her humorous comic-strip illustration is hugely popular all over the globe. She lives in London.