Don Freeman (1) (1908–1978)

Corduroy's a yare bear--exploring the upper floors of the department store, getting in shit with the night watchman, going home with a cool city kid who's not too cool to take a teddy bear home to her family's upscale brownstone and put him in a little bed and love him. (I like that she's black middle class--this book came out in 1976 so representations like this in kids' books were still not the norm I don' think). I like the cut of his jib, even if I'm not so much a fan of the "all the show more toys on the shelves waiting for a kid to love them and take them home" bit. show less

Originally published in 1968, this adorable picture-book was one of the reading staples of my early childhood, so I was simply delighted when it was chosen as one of our December selections, over in The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme for the month is "toys." This gave me the opportunity to revisit an old favorite, which I greatly enjoyed! The story of a teddy bear who longs for a home, and the little girl who falls in love with him on first sight, Corduroy follows its show more eponymous ursine hero as he sets out, late one night, to find a button to replace the one he had lost, sitting on a department store shelf for so long. Eventually returned to his shelf, still sans button, Corduroy is confronted the following morning with a wonderful surprise...

There are so many things I love about this book, that it's difficult to know where to begin! Freeman's artwork is charming, and his story engaging. It taps into some common childhood fantasies, from the idea that toys come alive, when the humans leave the room, to the wish-fulfillment scenario in which one wanders through a normally crowded locale - a store, a museum, a busy street - late at night, free to explore in ways that one usually wouldn't be. Although I can't say I thought about it much as a kid, when I simply took it for granted, as part of the story, I love the fact that Lisa, the little girl who eventually takes Corduroy home, thereby fulfilling all his dreams, is an African-American child. I love that this is a matter-of-fact reality, rather than an important part of the story, as so much of the multicultural literature being produced for children nowadays feels more "issue" driven to me. This is just a delightful story about a bear and a girl, in which the girl happens to be black. I can't think of too many vintage children's titles (excepting the work of Ezra Jack Keats) where this is the case.

I'm so happy to have reacquainted myself with this beloved title from my childhood - it more than lived up to my memory of it! - which I read and reread as a little girl. I think I will hunt down the sequel, A Pocket for Corduroy, which I didn't read as a child, and see if it is just as good... show less

Corduroy by Don Freeman is one of my favorite books.
The story, of mythic proportions,
deals with ultimate issues of life
in a surprisingly complex way.

It explores the difference between what we think we want
and what we know we want,
when we haven’t yet experienced either of them.
It deals with intrinsic worth as opposed to surface imperfection
and even suggests a tactful way to improve outside appearances.

The framework is a simple
bear meets girl,
bear loses girl,
bear gets girl
story.
(I hope show more you don’t mind my giving away the ending,
but the book bears—really, no pun intended— repeated
reading
and viewing.)

It is also a quest story.
In fact, there are two separate quests.
Is the major one a failure,
because the immediate goal is not achieved?

Is this quest actually a mystical experience?
Notice that a guard—G-d?—descends to what is described as a palace
and that the hero ascends to reach it;
notice also that the hero tries to hide after he fears he’s broken a vessel of light.
(Throne mysticism and creation mysticism?)
And finally ask what does one do with mystical experiences
back in the “real” world
and which is better—
the palace or home?

There is much more to the story—
the fact that the characters face right when going forward
and left when going to possible danger,
the other quest,
the importance of “buying/acquiring a friend” in Jewish tradition,
what the department store represents,
how do we recognize what we’ve never seen,
why four flights of stairs,
why a button—
but I don’t want to completely spoil the book
by giving it all away.

I hope you enjoy it. show less

How have I gone my entire life not realizing the family in the corduroy books was Black. The world has always needed more POC recognition in children’s books, but maybe in my younger days I didn’t pay attention the way I do now. I love the corduroy books, or at least remember loving them as a child, and this book reiterated it. Viola Davis writing a new book for the 50th anniversary of the original makes more sense to me now. I wish there were more books like Corduroy, and more books show more with various POC as a child. I may not be POC, but as a navy brat, I would have loved to see the places I lived and people I made friends with more represented.
#Wintergames #teamreadnosereindeer +16 show less