Corduroy by Don Freeman is a book that continues to tickle the imagination of children and convey valuable lessons about friendship. Corduroy was first published in 1968, almost 45 years later this wonderful piece of literature still peaks curiosity concerning one question: What do toys do when no one is watching?
In the story a little girl names Lisa, sees Corduroy at a toy store and immediately wants to take him home. However, she and her mother leave the store empty handed as they realize the bear is missing a button and her mother declares that they have spent enough money already.When the toy store closes Corduroy sets off to find a button to fix his suspenders and deserve Lisa's friendship. However, before he can replace his missing button Corduroy is returned to the toy department by a security guard on the night shift. The next day Lisa returns to purchase the bear anyway. She replaces his button and so begins his first experience with friendship.
Don Freeman tells a story to which children can relate because it is narrated in the language of childhood. As Corduroy journeys through the department store. he uses fanciful ideas to describe his mundane surroundings. In his mind, so similar to that of a child, his imagination redefines the large world around him; escalators are mountains and furniture show rooms are palaces.
This endearing story is accompanied by whimsical watercolor illustrations. All 32 pages of this book masterfully integrate the text into artwork. The bold black letters at the bottom of the page perfectly compliment the large bright images to tell this timeless tale.
Although this book is almost half a century old it will still delight any child. More importantly, Don Freeman's Corduroy sparks children's imaginations about the adventures their own toys get into, when the lights are turned off.
Enjoy!
Kim and Abby
Thanks for your post about Corduroy. I have fond memories of reading this book as a child. In one of my classes last week, we were talking about the importance of connecting reading and writing, and we said that Corduroy would be a book that lends itself easily to this. For example, the teacher could have a class stuffed animal Corduroy that would be sent home with each student for a few days. Depending on the level of the student, upon return to the classroom with Corduroy, they would have written a story about what happened while they had Corduroy with them or for K/1, they would draw a picture or be prepared to tell about what happened. This story will never be outdated!
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