• Age: 5 to 8
• Grade: 1
• Reading age: 5 to 8

Joseph's grandfather made him a beautiful blanket when he was a baby, but now it's frazzled and worn, and Joseph's mother says it is time to throw it out. Joseph doesn't want to part with his special blanket, and he's sure that his grandfather can fix it. Sure enough, Grandfather miraculously alters the blanket into useful items again and again. But when Joseph loses the final item, even Grandfather can't make something from nothing. But maybe Joseph can?

Based on the Yiddish folktale "Joseph's overcoat," Phoebe Gilman's gorgeous artwork charts the transformation of the blanket and the progress of Joseph's family through the years, subtly teaching young readers about a lost way of life.

PHOEBE GILMAN, la créatrice tant appréciée de la collection Lili Tire-bouchon, est aussi la plume derrière les livres primés Un merveilleux petit rien!, Les trésors de Lili Tire-bouchon, L’hippopotame bleu et L’arbre aux ballons. Elle est décédée en 2002.

Pheobe Gilman was the beloved creator of the Jillian Jiggs (Lili Tire-bouchon) series as well as the award-winning Something from Nothing (Un merveilleux petit rien!), The Gypsy Princess, Pirate Pearl, Little Blue Ben, The Balloon Tree (L'arbre aux ballons), and Grandma and the Pirates. She passed away in 2002.

Phoebe Gilman's profile page

• Commended, Best Books for Kids and Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre
• Commended, Antigo Sugar Maple Award
• Short-listed, Utah Children's Picture Book Award
• Commended, White Ravens Selection (International Youth Library)
• Commended, Canadian Materials Best of the Year list
• Commended, American Bookseller Magazine's "Pick of the List"
• Winner, Sydney Taylor Family Book Award
• Winner, Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Younger Readers
• Winner, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award
• Winner, Ruth Schwartz Award
• Short-listed, Mr. Christie's Book Award
• Commended, Canadian Library Association, Notable
• Commended, Canadian Children's Book Centre, Our Choice

Something From Nothing