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A toy bear in a department store wants a number of things, but when a little girl finally buys him he finds what he has always wanted most of all.Tags
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Corduroy is a sweet and heartwarming story about a small stuffed bear sitting on a shelf in a big department store, hoping someone will take him home. One day a little girl named Lisa spots him and wants to buy him, but her mom says not yet because the bear is missing a button on his overalls. That night Corduroy sneaks around the store searching for the missing button. He never finds it but the next morning Lisa returns, buys him anyway, and lovingly sews a new button onto his overalls. What I love about this book is how warm and gentle it feels. Corduroy’s longing for a home and a friend is easy to understand even for young kids. The illustrations are cozy and charming, and you can feel how much compassion and hope are woven into show more the story. The ending, where Corduroy is accepted and loved despite being imperfect, feels comforting and kind. For me Corduroy is a simple but powerful reminder that we don’t need to be perfect to deserve love and belonging. 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 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 show more 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
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 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 show more 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
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 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 show more 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
This is a book I've owned since I was a kid, and I used to reread it often as a child. Tonight I picked it up because I only needed one last quick read to finish my Goodreads challenge, but I thought if I was going to pick a quick read, it might as well be one that I hadn't read in a while. And I'm really glad I did. Being older, I appreciate the message of the story a lot more. As a child, I loved the pictures and colors used (I still do), but it was such a wholesome book, I teared up a little. I'm so glad I chose New Year's Eve to rediscover an old favorite.
Corduroy was written and illustrated by Don Freeman. It is a story about a teddy bear that starts out in a department store. Corduroy longs for a place to belong. A place to call home. A little girl named Lisa wants to buy Corduroy, but her mom tells her “not today”. In this interaction, the mom also notices a missing button on Corduroy. Corduroy then goes on to search around the department store for his missing button after closing time. This almost seems like he is trying to fix himself so someone will love him and want to take him home. After some commotion the security guard finds him and takes him back to the toy department. He returns without having found his button. However, Lisa returns the next day and buys Corduroy even show more with his button still missing. Later, once back home, Lisa sews on a button. While doing this, she tells him “I like you the way you are but you’ll be more comfortable---“. The message behind this is that you don’t have to be perfect to be loved, but someone who already loves you can always help fix you.
The art style is textured and warm. The illustrations used are set to the text. The colors that are used are based on the time, mood, and scene in the book. While it all ties together you can see the differences when you turn the pages. show less
The art style is textured and warm. The illustrations used are set to the text. The colors that are used are based on the time, mood, and scene in the book. While it all ties together you can see the differences when you turn the pages. show less
Corduroy is a sweet, simple story about a teddy bear that waits for the day that someone will come into the department store and take him home to love him forever. There are so many people that walk in and out of the store, but no one will ever choose him. One day, a little girl decides that she wants him, but her mother points out that his button is missing on his overalls. After he hears this, Corduroy decides to go and find the missing button himself, traveling through the empty department store in a curious mood. The security guard in the department store finds him and puts him back on his shelf, crestfallen that he has yet to be "complete." The next day, the little girl comes back with her piggy bank money and finally brings show more Corduroy home. At home, she sews a button for him, and tells him how lucky she is to finally have a friend. This story is such a classic favorite that explores friendship, belonging, and attachment. I would read this to my students that are still attached to their stuffed animals or imaginary friends, especially since Scholastic Book Wizard has identified the readability of this story as PreK-1 level. We would talk about being lonely, having a friend, feeling a sense of belonging, and any attachment they may have to their stuffed animal at home. There could be a fun show-and-tell day, craft, or activity paired with this book that I think would make it fun and memorable for all students. show less
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 toys on the shelves waiting for a kid to love them and take them home" bit.
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Corduroy
- Original publication date
- 1968
- People/Characters
- Corduroy; Lisa Karrington
- Related movies
- Corduroy (1984 | IMDb)
- Dedication
- To Sally Elizabeth Kildow and Patrick Steven Duff Kildow, who know how a bear feels about buttons
- First words
- Corduroy is a bear who once lived in a toy department of a big store.
- Quotations
- "Could this be a mountain?" he wondered.
"I think I've always wanted to climb a mountain."
"This must be a palace!" Corduroy gasped.
"I guess I've always wanted to live in a palace."
"This must be a bed," he said. "I've always wanted to sleep in a bed."
"This must be home," he said. "I know I've always wanted a home!"
"I like you just the way you are," she said, "but you'll be more comfortable with your shoulder strap fastened."
"You must be a friend," said Corduroy. "I've always wanted a friend." - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Me too!" said Lisa, and gave him a big hug.
- Original language
- English
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