Eat, Coat, Eat!

Poor but happy, Marco the coal seller is liked by all in this retelling of a traditional Mizrahi Jewish folktale exploring appearance vs reality, show vs substance. Invited to many celebrations, but always placed in a corner and served last because of his poor-looking coat, Marco nevertheless maintains his positive outlook, thanking God for the opportunity to turn scraps into blessings. When he is given a splendid coat by a grateful customer however, and wears this coat to the next celebration, he finds himself at the most prominent table, and served the finest foods. Cognizant of the fact that it is his coat being honored, rather than himself, Marco "feeds" his coat, before returning home to his family with a feast all can show more enjoy...

Originally published in Hebrew as תאכל מעיל, תאכל, this picture book from Israeli author/illustrator team Ronit Chacham and Shirley Waisman was published in English by the US-based PJ Library, a program which sends free children's books to Jewish families every month. I sought it out after enjoying Chacham's award-winning picture book, Five Wacky Witches, which left me with a desire to explore more of her work. I was not familiar with Waisman, before picking this up. In any case, I found Eat, Coat, Eat! to be an engaging folktale retelling, and think that it ably explores the saying from the rabbinic text Pirkei Avot ("Chapters of the Fathers"), “Don’t look at the outside of the container, but rather at what is in it.” Marco's character shines through in the story, revealing that it is the inner being that shows us the truth, rather than its outer appearance. The accompanying artwork from Waisman is a little too cartoon-like for my taste, but is nevertheless colorful and cute, with a sense of humor that is well-matched to the story. Recommended to anyone seeking Israeli children's books, or retellings of Israeli/Jewish folklore. show less

Marco may wear patched up clothes but on the insides he shines.