A Cloak for the Dreamer

by Aileen Friedman, Kim Howard (Illustrator)

In an entertaining introduction to the concept of geometry, a tailor's son attempts to create a cloak with only circles, with unfortunate results, and then works with his brothers to find a shape that works.

Genres: Picture Books, Mathematics, Childrens, Geometry, Fiction, Art

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Emma Grace Blumer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this book- the story is simple but engaging and the pictures are lovely. We read the explanation about shapes and angles did tannegrams afterwards, which was neat!

[Jason Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about a family making clothes for the archduke and his wife. The father is a master tailor who has 3 sons, 2 of which are wanting to be tailors and the third who wants to be an explorer. As the book progresses the sons make fantastic cloaks for the archduke but the third son makes a cloak that shows his desire to be an explorer and see the world and his family encourages that about him. I like this book ok, as family stories are something that speak to me. The book features a lot of double page full bleed illustrations but also has text boxes printed right into the image but always away from where the action is happening. I like the presence of the bordered text box because it enhances the story for me. The colors are beautiful and almost appear to be watercolor paints used; I have painted in watercolors before and I like how they appear bold and beautiful but still washed out at the same time. I thought this book was great and at the endpages you are helped with some teaching lessons the book advises, one of these is a math lesson about dimension and shape. I never thought about using this book in a math lesson but you could combine it with a coloring activity where students create a square cloak they like, find the area and perimeter and then color in the space. Such a combination makes learning a little more fun.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book a 3 stars.

In this book, they tell the story about a tailor who has three sons. Two of the sons really want to be tailors like their dad but the other one doesn't want to. When the Archduke asked the father to make 3 dress and 3 clorks for them, he needs their son help. After each son tries to make a clork for the Archduke, the father and other sons see that the one son doesn't want to be a tailor. This leads to the son finally leaving and starting his own journey.

Ways to use this in a classroom
1)Have students figure out a pattern of their own that they would make
2) Have students explore other ideas of jobs
3) Have students work with geometry shapes to find a pattern that doesn't have holes
4) Practice measuring angles within shapes

[Snail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much I almost bought it. I liked the illustrations, which were a unique mix of somewhat realistic and whimsical. I also appreciated that the book focused on the relationship between a father and his three sons (and pretty much no other characters), which is sort of unusual. I also loved how they supported the dreams of the youngest son. Bravo!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't planned to read this book, but it kind of jumped out at me today. I'm so glad I did. A great story about being comfortable with yourself, loving your family no matter how different they may be, and surprisingly, math.

[Emma Vargo · Rating 3 out of 5]

2nd-4th grade fiction
A fun story that incorporates math and shales. Could be added to a math unit with the shapes used to make the cloaks. A good read in addition to its math incorporation, it teaches about pursuing your own dreams

[Set · Rating 2 out of 5]

These are the types of books that your teacher make you read in grade school and it completely puts you off from reading because you imagine that all books are going to be just as boring and torturous to get through. I don't like the illustrations either, they seem foggy and dull.

[Grace DeBaltzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was so meaningful then at the end I realized it was a math book. I would totally use this in geometry!

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong Joseph vibes, but also very much its own story. About finding your way and supporting one another.

[ThePinkCarrot · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars
An okay story about quilting. Provides some visual entertainment about geometry...angles of quilt blocks, etc.
Wanted more from this story

[Ashley Moser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to teach about family traditions and that sometimes our dreams are different than our family’s.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The town tailor had three sons, Ivan the oldest wanted to be a tailor just like his father and work side by side with him. Alex the middle son wanted to work as a tailor with his father also. The youngest, Misha was different, he spent his day looking over maps and dreaming of far away places and lands that he would like to go see. One day, the tailor had an order so big he did not think he could fill it alone so he told each of his three sons to make a cloak for the Archduke and to show their work to him. They each fulfilled this task, Ivan used rectangles, Alex used squares and triangles, while Misha used circles, making it unusable because of all the wholes. Proud of all three of the boys, the tailor praised each for their work and pointed out that Misha’s would not make a very good cloak but that it was obviously time for his youngest son to travel the world. While Misha slept, the tailor and his two older sons took Mishas cloak of circles and transformed it to a cloak of hexagons for Misha to wear on his travels.

Cute story, Misha shows determination, he does not enjoy the work like his brothers do and yet he does his best for his father. The tailor is a kind man and understands the sacrifices that Misha is making and wants his young son to be happy, so he lets him go with a special cloak that has been fashioned with love and is now useable. The kids enjoyed me reading this story to them, they liked seeing the pictures of the colorful cloaks the boys made and seeing the father understand that it was harder for Misha than it was for his brothers to do the work at the tailors shop. They found it sad that the younger brother left, but was happy he was leaving to do what he wanted. Great pictures, good story, the back of the book has learning ideas about shapes, math, and other activities to help reinforce some of the subtle learning concepts of this book.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book although it is not stellar. The illustrations by Kim Howard really place the reader into the mode of this story.

Three brothers of a tailor are asked to help out. The two older brothers, who want to be tailors like their father, get to work and make a cloak as they are requested to do. The youngest son has no desire to be a tailor; he wishes to travel the world. The cloak he makes uses circles instead of squares and triangles as his brothers had used. Circles do not connect and leave gaps, therefore, his cloak was not good. The problem here is that is would have been easy to have accomplished the task by sewing the circles onto another piece of cloth. That wasn't done.

Instead, the father recognizes his youngest son's desire to leave home and explore the world. The other sons cut the circles down to hexagons to make the pattern work.

There's a good explanation after the story that explains circular geometry and how planar shapes work for these patterns, but not circles themselves. Of course, this is exactly what tessellations are. This would be a very good book to read when introducing that concept. The circular geometry is something I teach . . . this would be a good follow-up/reinforcement to when I broach that in early October.

****

20 July 2009 (Arlene read this to me)
23 June 2012

[JoAnna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is beautifully written. It is about a father who is a tailor and wants his three sons to learn how to make cloaks. Ivan and Alex want to be tailors like their father, while the other brother, Misha, wishes he could travel the world. Their father gives them a task to make a cloak. Ivan and Misha make theirs of rectangles, squares, and triangles. They do this knowing that geometrical shapes must have angles to fit together. However, Misha tries to make one out of circles. When his father realizes that this is not what his son, Misha, wants to do he tells him that he can do what he chooses. Misha leaves to travel, but as a farewell gift to his father he gives him his cloak. He had changed the circles to hexagons and sewn them together to make a beautiful cloak. This story could be used in conjunction with Math when talking about angles. Also, with Math the students could use different shapes with different angles and have to put them together so the angles fit.

[Sung Baick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. It's about a tailor and his three sons who cut up different shapes to make cloaks. It's a beautifully woven story that includes aspects about family, dreams, hard work and diligence. At the end of the book, there are some ways to integrate the shapes and patterns the sons used to mathematics. This story could be tied in with a fractions or patterns lesson or it could be just a great read aloud. I would suggest using this book as a read-aloud for almost any elementary school grade level. It is a tad bit lenghty but with an engaging reading voice and the beautiful pictures, I think students will be involved in the book.

[Ashley P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is secretly all about geometry. To extend children's thinkng (in a mathematical direction) after reading, I think it would be great to provide them with paper, scissors, and glue, and have them choose at least two shapes from the book (square, rectangle, triangle, or hexagon)and have them create their own tapestry by fitting the shapes together. This activity is not full of formulas, but is more one of discovery and becoming familiar with the characteristics and relationships of geometric shapes (what fits together and what doesn't, how different shapes can be manipulated and changed, which shapes can be combined to form another shape).

[Madison Bopp · Rating 4 out of 5]

We will read the story to discuss geometric shapes. We will discuss as a group why some figures, such as the circles in the story, cannot be sewn together to produce a cloak without there being gaps and spaces between the circles. I will then put different shapes on the projector and asks students what shapes can be put together without gaps or spaces. After students have understood this concept, they will then make their own quilts out of different shapes that I will cut out and put at their tables. Students will glue these shapes onto paper and color and decorate their own quilts. This will be a good activity for earlier grades.

[Kate Werner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book about a tailor and his sons makes a lighthearted story out of (sometimes mundane) geometry concepts. Each son is put to the test of making a cloak, just as their father does. Each son decides he will make his cloak out of certain shapes of fabric. Ivan chooses triangles, Alex chooses rectangles, and Misha goes with circles. Throughout the process, the reader learns that in order to fit shapes together they must have a straight edge.

This book is better than most math books, but by no means a magical story. Could be used for math and geometry purposes or to talk about families.

[Amina Mohamed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a tailor who has three sons. Two of his sons want to be a tailor, like their father, whereas the third son wants to be a world traveler. The book shows us the importance of hard work and perseverance in wanting to achieve one's dreams. As a prospective teacher, I really loved how the book incorporated maths, particularly geometry. This was done through the different patterns found in the cloaks sewed by the tailor.

[Chelsea Bucci · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book to use during a geometry lesson or a lesson on measurement. It talks about make a cloak out of rectangles, which involves measuring fabric and knowing your shapes. It also shows pictures of how students can piece together different shapes to make other shapes. This book is on a 2-3rd grade reading level.

[Mimi]

This book is all about geometry, but it isn't as pronounced as other titles. The underlying math message is about shapes and patterns. This book would be good for introducing shape names and discussing various patterns. The boo would be suitable for 2 graders and up but it wouldn't hurt for the lower grades to expose students to the basic ideas.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is good for a variety of things. Not only is it good for academics, but it also lends itself for life skills. It can be used for lessons on patterns, fractions, team work, shapes, hard work, measurement, and family.

[Melinda Garman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended for 1st through 3rd grade. Use along with a geometry lesson on shapes. Can also be used for measurements. Have students create their own cloaks with different shapes and have them experiment turning shapes into other shapes.

[Lyndsey Hurm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for teaching students geometry! It talks about shapes and patterns and tapestry. I would read this book to the class and then have them make their own shapes out of art supplies and then fit them together to make their own pattern and we would make a class quilt together! :)

[Rocheal Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for the introduction of a hands-on geometry unit. The tailor in the book runs into a problem when he tries only circles to make a cloak. Kids could choose shapes from the book to make something of their own.

[Rhonda Whittington]

Read to the part where it shows Misha's cloak made with circles. What is the problem? What should Misha do to solve the problem? (Discuss) Students write a letter to Misha telling him how to solve his problem. Include an illustration. Net day read their letters and finish the book.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a delightful way to teach geometric shapes.

[Kamyshia]

A book about a man and his three sons who use shapes to design their cloaks .

[Kimberly Maughon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creative way to teach geometric shapes.

[Amanda Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for grades 1st through 3rd to teach or review different shapes. The book provides real life examples of rectangles, triangles, etc. great story line too!